housing July 2014

PP 349181/00343
JULY 2014
HOUSING
Sir Phillip Lynch Award of Excellence
Peter Stannard p.6
THE NATIONAL MAGAZINE FOR BUILDING PROFESSIONALS
2014 HIA–CSR Australian
Home of the Year p.36
infocus The Federal Budget – good for business? p.16
HIA at work and play p.106
THE MAGAZINE OF THE
HOUSING INDUSTRY
ISSN: 1444-1128
Published by
HIA Publishing Pty Ltd
ABN 26 062 034 904
79 Constitution Avenue
Campbell ACT 2612
Tel: 02 6245 1300 Fax: 02 6257 5658
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Louise Tigchelaar 02 6245 1300
Assistant Editor
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Production Coordinator
Jessica Deotto 02 6245 1300
Contributors
Nicole Amey, Kristin Brookfield,
Gabrielle Chariton, Kim Coles, Graham
Cooke, Harley Dale, Jessica Deotto, Angela
Gianakis, Lisa Grigsby, Annie Reid, Amelia
Starr, Louise Tigchelaar, Greg Weller.
Design & Production
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Tel: 03 9419 9009
Advertising Queries
Helen Cooper, Lorraine Williams,
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Important Disclaimer
The authors, editors, publisher and their
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use made of the products, plans and
information referred to in this publication.
All liability of whatsoever nature is expressly
disclaimed for any consequences arising
from any errors or omissions contained in
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of this publication or otherwise. The views
expressed in the articles and other material
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All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole
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is strictly prohibited.
HOUSING
Housing Industry Association Limited
ABN 99 004 631 752
page
www.hia.com.au
2
Regulars
President’s Report
4
What’s New
10
Home of the Year
Giorgi Exclusive Homes
36
Business Profile
Amerex Renovations and Additions
40
Display Home of the Year
Better Building Services
42
HIA Business Partner
BPN Luncheon with Camilla Franks
Heather Ghidella
44
46
HIA Apprentices
Sam Drury – Australian Apprentice of the Year
2014 Finalists
ABBTF – Rethinking adult apprentices
Build Your Future – Josh Reynolds
86
86
91
92
Product Profile
Onsite Eye
95
Industry Bulletin
97
Directory of Advertisers
99
Lifestyles
From the Vineyards
Members’ Health
Tea Break
In Focus
Last Word
40
page
100
103
104
106
108
8
HOUSING JULY 2014
OUR COVER
ousing
affordability
continues to
be a top priority for
HIA, and with a
recent boost in real
estate prices giving
it a higher profile in the national
debate, the topic has also
brought increased attention on
negative gearing and private
investment.
On page 4, HIA National
President Ron Dwyer explains
why negative gearing plays a key
role in affordability, and why it
will form a major part of HIA’s
advocacy in a federal inquiry into
taxation. His arguments are
supported by leading finance
commentator Ross Greenwood
(p.8) and HIA’s chief economist,
Harley Dale (p.16).
The recent death of a woman
in NSW through electrocution
from a non-compliant phone
charger is a stark reminder of
the dangers of non-compliance
in our own industry. While the
issue is clear – non-compliant
products can kill – there is no
single solution. However, HIA
is involved nationally and
internationally with other
stakeholders to raise awareness
and lobby government to better
manage the supply chain for
building and construction
products. HIA’s Kristin Brookfield
is chair of the International
Housing Association’s working
group on this issue and reports
on its current status (p.20).
Finally, for wine lovers, the
HIA Charitable Foundation has a
great new deal for members with
its new wine club (p.100). We
also bring you more inspirational
stories from just a small selection
of our many hard-working and
talented members: from
apprentices just starting out,
to award-winners at the top
of their game.
Enjoy!
H
Simplicity and quality workmanship
shone through in this award-winning
home. See page 36 for more.
Photo courtesy Giorgi Exclusive Homes
page
92
Features
Sir Phillip Lynch Award
Peter Stannard
6
DR Dossetor Address
8
Economic Outlook
16
Building Product Compliance
Evidence of non-compliance
20
Accessible Housing
A new housing benchmark
22
Building Better Cities Summit
25
National Policy Congress
Determining the issues
27
HIA Member Benefits
HIA Vehicles
HIA Finance
Telstra/HIA Telecommunications
29
31
33
HIA Website
Service to suit
35
Timber Feature
A triumph of carpentry
All things timber
48
53
New Materials
77
page
44
HIA Kitchens & Bathrooms
What’s New in K&B
61
K&B Trends
All roads lead to Rho
62
K&B Profiles
Minosa
AG Constructions
68
72
page
100
Louise Tigchelaar
Managing Editor
page
HOUSING JULY 2014
48
See Housing online:
www.hia.com.au/housing
3
President’s Report
spotlight on
investment
Private investment and negative
gearing play a key role in
housing affordability.
ith real estate prices in some
capital cities starting to find
their feet again after years in
the doldrums, housing
affordability is gaining a higher profile
in the national debate.
This has led to increased media
commentary on measures such as
negative gearing, capital gains tax and
foreign investment in residential property.
HIA has been busy protecting
member’s interests in these and other
important industry issues, and recently
appeared before the federal government
economics committee to give evidence
W
4
into an inquiry into foreign investment
in real estate.
Foreign investment in residential
property has, and should continue to
provide demand for residential building.
The additional demand for residential
building has a positive impact on the
residential building sector, feeds higher
levels of economic activity elsewhere in
the economy, and contributes to the
stock of private rental accommodation.
International pre-sales are also important
to ensure that projects proceed, rather
than be delayed.
A point made by HIA to the inquiry
is that, if housing supply constraints
such as access to shovel-ready land,
planning delays and excessive taxation
on housing are addressed, then the
affordability problem could go some
way to being solved.
With an economy-wide federal inquiry
into taxation due to be held in this term
of government, HIA has also
commissioned independent research into
the role of negative gearing in housing
supply. This has shown definitively that
cutting negative gearing is not the
panacea for improving housing
affordability. If negative gearing were cut
without ensuring Australia has a
sufficient supply of housing it would
reduce the volume of rental stock and
invariably lead to a rise in housing costs,
and a reduction in Australian living
standards. This research will form a key
element of HIA’s advocacy.
The association recently concluded the
annual National Policy Congress (NPC),
which brings together members from
across the nation to debate the important
issues facing the industry and to develop
policy responses.
It is the culmination of a year’s work
and an exhaustive and transparent process
that ensures it is the views of our
members that drive the direction of HIA
and the industry. This is essential, given the
knowledge and positive influence that HIA
has been able to apply to the development
of government policy at a state and federal
level over a period of many years.
A very recent example of this was the
decision by federal, state and territory
governments to provide future editions
of the National Construction Code free
online and to limit the frequency of
changes, following extensive advocacy
by HIA. This has been long fought for by
the association and was one of the 50
policies outlined in Housing Australians
during last year’s federal election.
[NPC] ensures it is the views of
our members that drive the
direction of HIA and the industry
Coinciding each year with the NPC is
the annual conferring of the Sir Phillip
Lynch Award of Excellence, which is the
highest honour that HIA can bestow and is
awarded to an individual who has made an
outstanding contribution to the association.
This year the award was presented to
West Australian builder Peter Stannard,
who has played a key role in the formation
of the division in that state, along with
serving four years as a national director.
Peter has made an outstanding contribution
to the housing industry and the community
with a career spanning more than 50 years.
He is a deserving recipient. In accepting
the award, Peter reflected on his time in
HIA, saying that he has always felt
confident knowing that while he was
absorbed his own business, he had HIA
watching his back. HIA salutes his
substantial achievements and we wish
him well in his future endeavours. H
Ron Dwyer
HIA National President
HOUSING JULY 2014
Sir Phillip Lynch Award
50 years
In his fifth decade of service to the
industry, Peter Stannard is a most
worthy recipient of HIA’s highest
award. Greg Weller reports.
he highest award that HIA can
confer is the Sir Phillip Lynch
Award of Excellence, and since
its inception in 1981 has been
awarded to some of the most recognisable
names in the industry. With the long list
of achievements in business, the
community and on behalf of HIA
members, the 2014 recipient Peter
Stannard is right at home among some
of the giants of the housing industry.
Peter Stannard was a carpenter by
trade and became a registered builder in
1973. He joined the association in Perth
in 1972, and such was his enthusiasm to
contribute, by 1979 he was elected
president of the division. At the time of
Peter’s election, the division was going
through a challenging period with a
small and declining membership and a
T
of service
headquarters in the front of a plumber’s
factory in east Perth.
Peter recognised that, for the
association to grow, it must do so from
a firm foundation, leading him to
launch a campaign to raise funds to
purchase a headquarters. While
managing director of his own growing
company, Peter physically visited all
major members of the period asking
them to assist, and was successful in
raising funds of more than $50,000 –
a significant amount at the time. With
this funding and under Peter’s
direction, the association moved into its
new headquarters.
Peter was a national director of HIA
for four years. He was HIA’s
representative during the Headworks
dispute in 1980 and was instrumental in
achieving outcomes that would restrain
costs imposed on the industry.
He has filled many other roles within
the organisation, representing HIA on
many committees both internally and
externally, but his most significant
and enduring legacy is arguably in the
field of training and apprenticeships.
With concern growing in Western
Australia during the 1980s at the decline
in the number of adequately skilled
tradespeople in the industry, in 1987
HIA reconstituted a trade training
committee, with Peter as the convener.
This soon led to the creation of the HIA
Trade Training Foundation, and in 1991
the first 20 apprentices completed their
training. The foundation underpinned
the region’s training of apprentices for
12 years until it was formerly
re-launched as HIA Apprentices.
The foundation underpinned the
region’s training of apprentices
for 12 years until it was formerly
re-launched as HIA Apprentices
In recognition of his long commitment
to training in the residential construction
industry, HIA WA’s apprentice of the year
award bears Peter’s name to this day.
Peter and his wife Judy Stannard
are committed to giving back to the
community and have been involved over
the past 20 years in overseas building
work, including the construction of
numerous churches, medical centres,
and shelters.
The Stannards currently sponsor
15 underprivileged children through
different organisations and offer them
long-term support into their higher
learning years as adults. This in turn
allows them to go out into their
communities and help others through
teaching, medicine and social welfare.
In 1986, Peter was awarded life
membership of HIA and in 1992 was
the recipient of the Western Australian
region Ron Sears Citation for services
to the industry.
Greg Weller is HIA national director –
communications. H
Left: (L–R) HIA National President Ron
Dwyer, Peter Stannard, and HIA Managing
Director Shane Goodwin.
6
HOUSING JULY 2014
DR Dossetor Address
a powerful
lever
Ross Greenwood shared his
passion for home ownership when
he delivered the 2014 DR Dossetor
Address. Greg Weller reports.
ust as home ownership and
building dominated the life and
achievements of the man after
whom the prestigious annual
address is named, Randal Dossetor, the
2014 orator Ross Greenwood believes
in the virtue of home ownership every
bit as much.
Finance commentator and successful
businessman Ross Greenwood joined
more than 700 HIA members and guests
at the annual Australian Housing Awards
on the Gold Coast in May to deliver the
2014 DR Dossetor lecture. In a constant
theme that resonated with attendees,
Ross was keen to point to the importance
of home ownership in underpinning a
functioning and stable society.
‘The stability an affordable home
provides for families and especially
children is invaluable. So many studies
show that results at school improve, there
are fewer social problems and better
health outcomes arise in families that
J
Ross Greenwood is finance editor
for the Nine Network’s Today show
and Nine News and host of 2GB’s
Money News. He has been the
editor of Business Review Weekly,
Personal Investor and The Age’s
money section. He was a presenter
on Network 10’s Healthy Wealthy
and Wise for five years and was the
finance presenter for Good Morning
Australia. In the private sector he
has been a director of a
sharemarket-listed investment
company and for six years was
chairman of the investment
committee of the JUST
superannuation fund.
8
own their own home. There is a direct
correlation between home ownership and
a harmonious community.’
While noting that rates of outright
home ownership has fallen, suggesting
a level of stress in the market, Ross
remains convinced that there remains an
‘unshakable bond’ between Australians
and home ownership.
For every quarter of a per cent
interest rate cut ... around $2.8
billion in stimulus is delivered to the
economy via mortgage reductions
It is a bond which is instinctively
understood by politicians and central
bankers to be one of the most powerful
levers at their disposal in the economy.
This is particularly so at times like the
present when key drivers of activity
such as the resources sector are
waning and housing provides a readymade answer.
Ross noted that for every quarter of a
per cent interest rate cut by the Reserve
Bank, around $2.8 billion in stimulus is
delivered to the economy via mortgage
reductions. And from November 2011 to
August 2013 when rates were cut from
4.75 per cent to 2.5 per cent, it was the
equivalent of $28 billion in stimulus,
compared with the $42 billion GFC
package, the budget legacy of which
will be with us for many years to come.
Though there are many challenges
facing the nation, Ross emphasised that
we should put it in at least some
perspective, which is that a recent Credit
Suisse report ranked Australians as the
per capita wealthiest nation in the world.
But he did sound a cautionary note, that
unless Australia has a serious
conversation about the communities’
expectations and how they will be paid
for, then we will slip in these rankings.
‘And that conversation,’ Ross
concluded, ‘should start with
addressing ways to get more people
into their homes.’ H
HOUSING JULY 2014
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03 8574 4800
What’s New on the Market
what’s
new
modular flame
Real Flame, a leader in gas fireplace technology, has
launched its new 1500 modular size fireplace,
available in a several types: Elegance, Simplicity,
Pure Vision and the Hybrid.
The 1500 modular size has been designed and developed
to complement the current 1000 and 1800 models. Real
Flame has fireplaces in a multitude of sizes, with the
range now including the 850, 1000, 1500, 1800 and 3300.
The 1500 can be set up as a standard vertical flue
configuration, or the power flue can be used for
applications where horizontal venting is required.
For more information visit www.realflame.com.au
wrapped barrier
an online renovation
Drawing on the company’s wide knowledge and expertise of
the plastering and home renovation industry, CSR Gyprock®
has undergone renovations of its own – to its website.
With a contemporary and colourful new design, the
new www.gyprock.com.au boasts increased content and
improved functionality, offering up-to-date information
to the Australian plastering industry.
Key features include individual platforms at the landing
page, with tailored content for homeowners, architects and
builders; product pages featuring differential tabs offering
general and technical information for homeowners and
industry professionals; and the cornice product category
which focuses on design and decorating.
The improved user-friendly experience and streamlined
navigation provides users with an efficient and thorough
gateway to the entire Gyprock world.
For more information visit www.gyprock.com.au
10
You can now wrap once instead of twice with the new HardieWrap™
weather barrier, a non-perforated, highly breathable and reflective
safe-glare weather barrier from James Hardie; designed to be used
in wall and gable applications behind James Hardie®, Scyon™ and
other* external cladding products to help protect your building.
Made from an advanced triple-layered material, the new weather
barrier has been engineered specifically for the Australian climate.
It delivers a triple-shield of protection to help against external
weather penetration, internal condensation build-up and external
heat penetration.
*Specifier is responsible for confirming the suitability of HardieWrap™ weather barrier in the specific design and
climate zone with the selected external cladding product. Refer to cladding manufacturer for more information.
For more information visit
www.jameshardie.com.au/products/hardiewrap_weather_barrier.htm
HOUSING JULY 2014
no more scalding
Scald burns from hot water taps are common in Australia,
so to address this risk Caroma and Dorf have added an
innovative feature to specific mixer tap ranges. These
mixers include a fully adjustable cartridge with an inbuilt
safety function that limits the rotation of the handle,
restricting the flow of very hot water. This anti-scald feature
means that the water temperature can be set at a chosen
maximum level.
An added benefit is that by restricting the temperature,
the amount of energy required to heat the water will be
decreased, thereby reducing energy bills.
The Caroma Plumbers’ Handbook – available via the
Caroma Plumbers’ Handbook App and free to download –
will help identify which products have the adjustable
cartridge. See page 61 for more.
For more information visit www.caroma.com.au
polystyrene solution
When we think of polystyrene, most of us imagine white cups at
picnics. But the polystyrene used in construction is a lightweight
material quickly gaining popularity for use in walls and trims.
Expanded polystyrene foam (EPS) is used as a cladding system, and
is available in panel form for external walls, profiles and moulds.
Lightweight construction specialists Empower Construction supply
and install the Exsulite® Thermal Façade System by Dulux® AcraTex®.
Adaptable and easy to install, these panels display high insulation
values (R4–R7), and once rendered, create a weatherproof barrier that
delivers high thermal performance and structural integrity. And by
using a trained and registered Exsulite® installer such as Empower
Construction, you’re also covered by the system warranty.
For more information visit www.empowerconstruction.com.au
smart and safe
There are often tragic accidents with children being
harmed by the looped chains or cords on window
coverings. Through its range of solar-powered, motorised
window coverings, Dynaveil has developed the
SmarTUG™ mechanism. With no looped chains, it is
easy and safe to use, as a simple tug controls the opening
and closing of the blinds.
Deceptively simple, the narrow solar array is
unobtrusive, fitting neatly against the inside of the
window. The blinds are also eco-friendly and work in
most environments with access to natural daylight. All
products have been designed with an understanding of
the varying lighting conditions in Australia.
For more information call 1300 119 339
or visit www.dynaveil.com
HOUSING JULY 2014
11
What’s New on the Market
stylish
pendants
carbon neutral bricks
Brickworks Building Products has produced Australia’s
first carbon neutral bricks and pavers under the federal
government’s national carbon offset standard.
The carbon neutral certification has been achieved by
using a unique fuel for kiln firing that includes sawdust,
a biomass material, and a by-product of the local
Tasmanian timber industry.
Bricks not only help regulate internal temperatures within a
home, they also have a long lifecycle and high thermal mass,
making them a smart choice in energy efficient building.
The bricks are available nationally under the Daniel
Robertson brand and are manufactured by Brickworks’
subsidiary Austral Bricks at its Longford plant in Tasmania.
For more information call 13 27 42
or visit www.australbricks.com.au,
www.danielrobertson.com.au, www.buildforliving.com.au
Scandinavian style is renowned for its clean lines,
craftsmanship and sophisticated simplicity. The new Lucci
LEDLux Nord range from Beacon Lighting embodies
everything classic Scandinavian design should be.
Hugely versatile, these pendants can be hung over a kitchen
island bench or hall table, and even over a bathroom mirror
or in a home office.
With their up/down directional light (1/3 up, 2/3 down) and
dimmable operation offering greater installation flexibility,
the Lucci LEDLux Nord range is also ideal for spaces where
an inviting ambience is required.
All LEDlux Nord wall lights and pendants come with a
three-year warranty and a 30,000-hour globe life, so you’re
assured of their superior quality and reliability.
For more information visit www.beaconlighting.com.au
hardware
bible
Leading hardware supplier Lincoln Sentry has launched a set of
new hardware catalogues destined to become an industry ‘bible’.
The company’s Architectural Hardware catalogue and the
largest-ever Cabinet Hardware catalogue (at more than 800
pages) are the first to be launched since 2008 and promise
to set new benchmarks in terms of breadth of product,
navigation and illustration.
The catalogues showcase many new products, from electronic
window control systems to hinge-and-lift systems, plus many
other product innovations designed to suit all areas of the home.
The catalogues are available on the Lincoln Sentry website in
PDF format by section, enabling clients to download only the
section of interest to them.
For more information visit www.lincolnsentry.com.au
12
HOUSING JULY 2014
an eye on progress
Onsite Eye’s innovative on-site monitoring solution now
fully integrates with its number one client and work flow
management software – Framework.
This new solution allows builders to more easily deploy and
coordinate their monitoring cameras, keeping an eye on
deliveries, tradespeople and on-site progress.
And the benefits are for your customers too, who can watch
their dream home being built before their eyes. The Onsite
Eye camera solution allows customers to effortlessly access
high-quality visual progress updates on any device from any
location. Being able to offer this level of customer
involvement and customer service will provide forwardthinking builders with the winning edge. See page 95
for more.
For more information call 03 8574 4800
or visit www.onsiteeye.com.au
app reality
The Mirvac Land app has been enhanced with new
technology that enables buyers to see how their new home
will look in 3D augmented reality.
The 3D vision lets users move around the home, exploring it
from all external angles, and an ‘Internal’ button provides 3D
floor plans for movement between levels. Users can even take
photos of the 3D virtual home and share them online.
This feature is currently only available for Seascapes on the
Terraces at Seascapes, a joint venture between Mirvac and
APG Homes, but will eventually expand across more of
Mirvac’s West Australian communities.
The Mirvac Land app is available via free download from
iTunes and Google Play for both Apple and Android devices.
For more information visit www.landapp.mirvac.com
weep no more
Weepa specialises in simple solutions for neat, bushfireproof weep holes, and its latest release is fully stainless
steel – the ultimate choice in bushfire protection and style.
Available in two sizes, the Stainless Steel Weepa can be
used in standard brick or the increasingly popular 50mm
high brick.
If you’ve already built, the Weepa Protector Weep Hole
Screen is the perfect solution. It can be installed in seconds
using the simple tool provided in each pack. See the video
at www.weepa.com.au or search for ‘Protector Weep Hole
Screen’ on YouTube.
Weepa says both products are manufactured from 316
stainless steel, with holes less than 2mm in diameter, and are
compliant by design with all BAL levels of AS 3959:2009.
For more information call 07 3844 3744
or visit www.weepa.com.au
HOUSING JULY 2014
13
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Economic Outlook
a modest
The Federal Budget has ignited
widespread indignation, but will it
be good for business?
Harley Dale explains.
he 2014/15 Federal Budget sets
out a clear and credible path to get
the budget back to a position of
balance and then surplus. In this
regard the Budget should be a positive
for business confidence and, it is hoped,
in due course, business investment. In
reality though, who knows?!
Few, if any federal budgets in recent
times have generated such debate,
controversy, misperception and angst as
the 2014/15 version. The trouble with
this dynamic is that the economy is
subsequently facing a period of elevated
uncertainty, which increases the risk of
damage being imparted upon the real
economy – actual household and
business demand.
T
16
tightening
There is no denying that the Budget
2014/15 is a relatively tight one.
However, a considerable amount of the
belt tightening is scheduled to occur
from 2015/16 with much of that set to
take place beyond the next federal
election. There will be some negative
impact on economic growth in 2014/15
and 2015/16. The Budget relies heavily
on spending cuts to achieve its targets.
Consumer confidence took a big hit in
the weeks following its release.
There is some risk that the knock-on
effect from low consumer confidence to
real economic demand will manifest
itself in a dampening of the new home
building recovery and a delay in the
recovery in renovations activity.
The risk of the ‘confidence knock’
persisting throughout the middle of
2014 is exacerbated by the difficulty the
federal government is experiencing in
getting budget measures passed through
both houses of parliament. By mid-June
the government had begun admitting
that it will lose significant budget
revenue because it was unable to get
certain revenue and savings measures
through by the end of 2014/15.
Given that some momentum was
coming out of leading indicators of new
home building activity prior to the
Budget, and that a lift in renovations
activity is barely off the ground, a hit to
real demand from poor sentiment would
obviously be a concerning development
not only for the industry, but for the
wider economy.
The only clear upward momentum
evident in the domestic economy at
present is the strengthening recovery in
new home construction, and that needs
to continue. Encouragingly, the risk of a
derailment to the new home building
recovery is considerably mitigated by
two factors.
First, the Budget is sufficiently tight;
any modest prospect of the Reserve
Bank of Australia starting to raise
interest rates from late in 2014 has been
reduced. There is now also a higher
chance that the first increases to interest
rates may not occur until later in 2015;
that is, the second or third quarter of
next year rather than the March quarter.
Second, while fiscal policy has been
tightened, the extent of this tightening is
relatively modest. This budget certainly
represents a modest tightening when
compared to the three benchmark tight
budgets of the modern era – the 1986
Hawke/Keating budget and the
1996/1997 Howard/Costello budgets.
The fiscal settings outlined on 13 May
this year are arguably appropriate given
that the Australian economy is growing
below trend and will continue to do so
for some time. Most of the impact of the
fiscal tightening will be felt from
2015/16 onwards, as previously noted.
While much of the ‘heavy lifting’ of
the fiscal tightening commences a
couple of years out, there have been
some significant short-term cuts. It is
reasonable to note that when
consideration is given to the cuts and
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Economic Outlook
(which has been at its current level for
11 months) has had some stimulatory
effect, largely seen within the new
residential construction sector and also
in household consumption expenditure.
Outside of these areas, business
confidence (and investment) remains
subdued, while a large decline in
resources-related investment continues
to unfold following the recent boom.
The Budget has taken quite a
conservative approach to its forecasts of
key aggregates, even after accounting for
the aforementioned headwinds. Australia’s
economy grew at a below-trend rate of 2.8
per cent in calendar year 2013, although
for the March 2014 quarter annual growth
was an above-trend 3.5 per cent. The
Commonwealth Treasury expects growth
to weaken over the medium-term,
forecasting growth of 2.75 per cent in
fiscal year 2013/14 and 2.5 per cent in
2014/15, before returning to trend growth
of 3.0 per cent in 2015/16. The forecasted
rates of unemployment also reflect the
view that further economic deterioration is
Federal Budget Underlying Cash Balances, 2010/11 to 2017/18
0.0
-10.6
-20.0
-17.1
-18.8
-30.0
-29.8
-40.0
-43.4
-50.0
-47.7
-49.9
-60.0
2010/11
2011/12
2012/13
2013/14
(est)
2014/15
(est)
2015/16
(est)
2016/17
(p)
2017/18
(p)
Source: Treasury
Economic backdrop and
fiscal position
The Federal Budget was handed down
against a backdrop of continuing
uncertainty about Australia’s economic
prospects over the medium-term. The
historically low official interest rate
-2.8
-10.0
$ billion
tightening around training and
apprentices, and the ending of the
National Rental Affordability Scheme
(NRAS) and the first home savings
accounts, residential construction was
relatively hard hit by this budget.
Budget measures related to residential construction
Many of the new measures included in
the Federal Budget for 2014/15 that
will have wide impacts were covered
extensively in the mainstream media in
the days and weeks following 13 May.
These measures include welfare
changes, the reduction in the
company tax rate, and the Budget
Repair Levy. In addition to these
measures there are a number that
didn’t generate quite the same
number of headlines, but still stand to
have a material impact on the
residential building industry.
Cessation of National Rental
Affordability Scheme (NRAS) –
The federal government will not be
proceeding with Round 5 of the
NRAS. Funding for incentives from
18
earlier rounds that are uncontracted
or not used within agreed timeframes
will be returned to the Budget.
Funding for tenanted NRAS
properties is not affected.
Cessation of the First Home
Saver Account Scheme – Due to
lower than forecast take-up rates the
program will be discontinued. The
government will cease making
contributions from 1 July 2014 and
tax concessions and the income and
asset test exemptions for
government benefits associated with
these accounts will cease from 1 July
2015. These accounts will be
converted to regular savings
accounts by the financial institutions
in which they are held.
Reallocation of funding for training
and workforce development – The
government aims to reduce expenditure
on training programs by $1 billion over five
years. There are funding cuts to a number
of programs which were delivered within
the residential building industry.
Abandoned programs include the National
Workforce Development Fund, Australian
Apprenticeships Mentoring Program,
and Apprentice to Business Owner
Program (among others), which had all
provided benefits to the building industry.
Much of the budget savings achieved by
cutting these programs has been
reallocated to the establishment of an
industry skills fund. At present, little detail is
known about the workings of the fund.
However, it appears it may have more
HOUSING JULY 2014
limited scope than the schemes it
replaces. It is unclear whether the
residential building industry will be eligible
for funding under the new program.
Changes to incentives for
apprentices – The government has
abolished the Australian Apprenticeships
Incentive Program – Tools for Your Trade
which provided a grant to apprentices to
cover costs associated with training.
Other aspects of the Australian
Apprenticeships Incentive Program,
including incentives available to eligible
employers of Australian apprentices,
remain unchanged.
The Tools for Your Trade Program has
been replaced with the Trade Support
Loans Program, which provides loans
to apprentices on similar terms to those
HOUSING JULY 2014
Federal Budget Cash Aggregates: Receipts & Payments, 2012/13 to 2015/16
450.0
410.7
400.0
351.1
367.2
363.5
412.5
385.8
410.4
424.2
350.0
300.0
$ billion
250.0
200.0
150.0
100.0
50.0
Source: Treasury
yet to come. In May 2014 the
unemployment rate was 5.8 per cent.
The Treasury has forecast unemployment
to edge higher – from 6.0 per cent in
2013/14 to 6.25 per cent in 2014/15 and
again in 2015/16.
Private dwelling investment is forecast
to be an area of strength, with the
Treasury forecasting growth of 3.5 per
cent in 2013/14, followed by stronger
growth of 7.5 per cent in 2014/15 and
then growth of 5.5 per cent in 2015/16.
The Treasury, however, doesn’t
anticipate much of this growth to
translate into household consumption,
the forecasts here being for more modest
growth of 2.5 per cent in 2013/14,
followed by 3 per cent and 3.25 per cent
in 2014/15 and 2015/16 respectively.
With regard to the government’s
budgetary stance, the fiscal year
2014/15 is expected to show a deficit
of $29.8 billion, equivalent to 1.8 per
cent of GDP. This is projected to be
followed by a $17.1 billion deficit
(1.0 per cent of GDP) in 2015/16 and
then progressively smaller deficits
into the Budget’s ‘out years’, 2016/17
and beyond.
Building in the aforementioned
conservative forecasts into the Budget
provides considerable upside risks to the
0.0
2012/13 (actual)
2013/14 (est)
Total Cash Receipts
2014/15 (est)
2015/16 (est)
Total Cash Payments
final budget outcomes. If the out-turn in
key economic parameters such as
economic growth and the unemployment
rate outperform the forecasts, then the
government’s welfare bills (even after the
budgeted cutbacks) will likely come in
lower than budgeted and help the Budget’s
position back towards a balanced outcome
occur sooner than currently projected.
That situation would look very good in the
lead-up to the next federal election.
The Budget’s credible path back to a
balanced (and more sustainable)
outcome has been driven principally
by limiting growth in government
expenditure. While many measures are
due to take place within the Budget’s
four-year estimate period, many of the
biggest savings occur in the mediumto long-term by transferring expenditure
commitments in health and expenditure
to the state and territory governments
outside of the current budget period.
The explicit transfer of expenditure
responsibility to the states throws the
spotlight firmly on the white papers
related to taxation policy and reform of
the federation, due in the current federal
parliamentary term.
Dr Harley Dale is HIA chief economist. H
available to university students to cover
the costs of tuition under the Higher
Education Loan Program (HELP).
Eligibility to the scheme will be
restricted to those undertaking trades
on the national skills needs list. While
many of the key trades in residential
building are on this list, eligibility should
be expanded to all apprentices in
recognised construction trades.
Small business and family enterprise
ombudsman – The government will
provide funding to transform the existing
Office of the Australian Small Business
Commissioner into a small business and
family enterprise ombudsman with
additional functions and powers.
Extension of unfair contract
provisions to small businesses –
The government has allocated funding
to the Australian Competition and
Consumer Commission to support the
extension of unfair contract term
provisions available to consumers
under the Australian Consumer Law to
small businesses.
National Stronger Regions Fund –
The government will provide $1.0 billion
over five years from 2015/16 for a grants
program to support the construction,
expansion and enhancement of
infrastructure across Australia. Grants will
be available for projects to be delivered
in partnership with local, state and
territory governments, private sector and
community groups. Funding partners will
be required to contribute at least half the
total project cost.
19
Building Product Compliance
evidence
of non-compliance
HIA is involved nationally and
internationally in finding solutions
for non-compliance of building
products, writes Kristin Brookfield.
IA has continued to promote the
need for an investigation into the
framework for managing both
local and imported building
products and materials in an effort to
establish a level playing field for all.
Over the past year HIA has taken an
active role in a range of industry
activities focused on addressing different
aspects of the problem. There is no single
solution and there most likely never will
be. However, it is hoped that each of
these projects will play a role in raising
awareness of the issues, in educating the
industry about the potential solutions,
and in highlighting to government the
role they should be playing in better
managing the supply chain for building
and construction products.
H
Working internationally
HIA was recently invited to chair the
International Housing Association’s
(IHA) Working Group on Counterfeit
and Non-Conforming Products.
Formed in February 2013, the
working group includes members
from Canada, Norway, France, the
United States and Australia.
At the IHA meeting in February
2014, attended by HIA National
President Ron Dwyer, members
endorsed a memorandum of
understanding which commits all
members to now begin a process
of sharing information about nonconforming products and to work
jointly to address this issue.
20
Growing evidence
For too long, government has been
asking for industry to provide evidence
that there is a problem. One of the
major projects undertaken in the past
12 months has been a research report
prepared by the Australian Industry
Group (AiG) and funded by the Federal
Department of Industry which has
sought to gather together some of the
much needed evidence.
The AiG report, The quest for a level
playing field: The non-conforming
building product dilemma was released
in November 2013. The report clearly
shows that the issues are real and the
impact they are having on businesses of
all sizes are increasing.
The report clearly shows that
the issues are real and the impact
they are having on businesses of
all sizes are increasing
The project surveyed industry
members with a focus on steel,
engineered wood, paints and varnishes,
doors and windows, plumbing and
electrical products.
The findings showed that:
• there is significant non-conforming
product penetration in the building
and construction sector; however, not
all sectors are impacted equally
• there are gaps and weaknesses in the
building products conformance
framework resulting from confusion
about the role of regulators and how the
system works, inadequate surveillance,
an inappropriate level of responsibility
being placed on builder certifiers, an
over-emphasis on controls at the point
of installation, and confusion about
how and where to report problems
• voluntary third party certification
schemes and industry surveillance is
being used to respond to some of
the gaps.
The report makes a number of
recommendations aimed at engaging all
stakeholders in the supply chain
including government, building
professionals, and manufacturers and
suppliers, to work together to identify
potential solutions.
To this end, AiG and industry partners
including HIA held a forum in March to
bring together all stakeholders to discuss
ways to address the issues identified in
the report. AiG has now established a
steering committee to take forward the
recommendations from the forum and
has invited HIA to participate in this.
A full copy of the report is available on
the AiG website at www.aigroup.com.au
Kristin Brookfield is HIA senior
executive director – building,
development and environment. H
HOUSING JULY 2014
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COMMERCIAL
Accessible Housing
a new housing
benchmark
Liveable housing design is meeting
consumer demand for more flexible
housing options, writes Amelia Starr
of Livable Housing Australia.
ew technologies, an ageing
population and consumer
demand for more flexibility and
choice are just three of the
megatrends that are transforming the
residential development sector.
At the intersection of these
megatrends are homes that are liveable,
versatile and able to adapt to the
changing circumstances of residents.
Those builders and developers able to
capitalise on these trends will gain
market advantage – and also deliver
more liveable homes for future
generations of Australians.
Livable Housing Australia (LHA)
champions homes that are safer, more
comfortable and easier to access – for
everybody, every day, at all stages of life.
LHA’s Livable Housing Design
Guidelines outline ‘easy living’ design
features that can be incorporated into
any new or existing home, whether a
detached house or apartment dwelling.
The designs of more than 250 individual
dwellings have already achieved the seal
N
22
of approval – the LHA Quality Mark –
that attests to enhanced liveability.
Three levels of performance – silver,
gold and platinum – are detailed in the
guidelines and range from basic
requirements through to leading practice
in liveable home design. LHA’s vision is
for all new houses in Australia to
achieve silver level certification by 2020.
Achieving the LHA Quality Mark
certification is simple and
straightforward and presents a unique
opportunity for HIA members. Builders
can register a home for certification at
either the design or as-built stage of
development. A provisional LHA
Quality Mark is awarded at the design
stage to enable builders to capitalise
on marketing opportunities while the
home is being constructed. This
provisional rating expires 30 days after
construction is complete. Once built, a
registered LHA assessor can conduct
a short on-site inspection to help you
achieve an as-built rating that is valid
for seven years.
Builders are finding that liveable
design is helping them to appeal to new
demographics of buyers. And research
tells us that, after affordability, liveability
is the feature most valued by customers.
For home occupants, the LHA
Quality Mark provides the third party
tick of approval that their dream home
has been built to last. They also gain a
liveability certificate that adds to the
features they can advertise when they
choose to sell.
HIA members can make the process
even easier by becoming a registered
LHA assessor. Not unlike GreenSmart
certification, becoming an assessor
enables you to submit projects for LHA
Quality Mark certification at the design
and as-built stage – and to assess other
projects to gain an additional source of
revenue. (To ensure the rigour of the
quality mark certification pathway is
maintained, a registered LHA assessor,
who has not been involved with the
design or build phase, is required to
undertake the as-built assessment.)
It is 22 times more efficient to design
and construct a home to meet
residents’ changing needs upfront
Being an LHA assessor will add
another element to your business and
demonstrate your commitment to quality
– something that can be the deciding
factor for discerning customers. The list
of registered assessors is growing by the
day, and the one-day training course
provides the entry point to this market.
A fast-tracked process is available for
HIA and Livable
Housing Australia
HIA has been working with Livable
Housing Australia over the past four
years to promote the voluntary
industry take-up of the Livable
Housing Design Guidelines. The HIA
GreenSmart House requirements
incorporate the guidelines as a
voluntary element, allowing HIA
members to showcase to their
customers how easy it is to make a
home more user-friendly for
everyday living.
LHA offers a nationally endorsed
training course on liveable design
that provides a pathway for HIA
members to become registered LHA
assessors. LHA’s liveability
certification scheme provides a
further avenue for promotion,
enabling HIA members to promote to
their customers their commitment
to creating liveable homes.
For more information contact
LHA’s team at [email protected]
HOUSING JULY 2014
Eight Silver Elements
building and design professionals who
can demonstrate experience or training in
this area. LHA is committed to providing
the tools and training you need to take
advantage of this growing market.
The case for building a liveabledesigned home is compelling, especially
when international research has found
that it is 22 times more efficient to
design and construct a home to meet
residents’ changing needs upfront than it
is to undertake a retrofit. And yet, few
people consider liveability when they are
buying or building a new home.
Michelle Prange and Casey Ford are a
perfect example. An occupational therapist
for almost a decade, Michelle has always
been passionate about accessible design.
Casey, a tradesman and builder, was less
keen – until a motocross accident left him
immobile for months. After a week in
intensive care and extensive rehabilitation,
Casey returned home fully dependent on a
wheelchair for mobility. He needed
assistance for even simple tasks.
‘It was only when he was confronted
with the barriers presented within our
rental home that he understood how vital
a “liveable home” is – as the unexpected
can happen to anyone, at any stage of
their life,’ Michelle says.
Casey has now recovered from his
injury and is a strong advocate for
liveable design. The couple, who are
preparing to welcome their first child,
HOUSING JULY 2014
are in the process of designing and
building a liveable home that meets gold
level certification from LHA.
‘We know the liveable features will
make our lives so much easier,’ Michelle
says. ‘The step-free entries, wider
hallways and larger bathrooms will make
access with a pram and moving children
and toys around the home simpler to
manage and less stressful. We also won’t
need to worry that a child will fall over
sliding door extrusions or down steps as
the home won’t have any.
LHA’s vision is for all new
houses in Australia to achieve
silver level certification by 2020
‘The wider spaces in our home will
also make it easier to move and place
furniture,’ Michelle explains. ‘We will be
able to welcome any visitor without
worrying about whether they have safe
access to our home. We are both
fortunate to have both sets of
grandparents still with us and they will
be able to visit us without fear of falling
over steps. They’ll be confident in using
the bathroom while managing a mobility
aid. These minor considerations add to
an improved quality of life not just for
us, but for friends and family too.’
The bottom line is simple. A liveable
home is really about good design.
There are eight elements of a
building required to achieve LHA
silver level certification, that is:
1. A safe, continuous, step-free
pathway from the street entrance
and/or parking area to a dwelling
entrance that is level.
2. At least one level (step-free)
entrance into the dwelling to
enable home occupants to easily
enter and exit the dwelling.
3. If parking space is part of the
dwelling access, it should allow
a person to open their car
doors fully and move around the
vehicle easily.
4. Internal doors and corridors
facilitate comfortable and
unimpeded movement
between spaces.
5. The ground (or entry) level has a
toilet to support easy access for
home occupants and visitors.
6. A bathroom and shower is
designed for easy and
independent access for all
home occupants.
7. The bathroom and toilet walls are
built to enable grabrails to be
safely and economically installed.
8. Where installed, stairways
are designed to reduce the
likelihood of injury and also
enable future adaptation.
Free downloads of the Guidelines
SmartPhone App are also available
from the App Store and Google
Play. Download the Livable
Housing Design Guidelines from
www.lha.org.au
People’s needs change throughout their
lives. Their priorities shift from ensuring
their home is safe for small children to
allowing them to live independently as
they age. A liveable home caters for
everyone, every day.
Amelia Starr is executive
director of Livable
Housing Australia. To find
out more about the
Livable Housing Design
Guidelines or register for
a training course, visit
www.lha.org.au H
23
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FUJA10086
2014 Building Better Cities Summit
not in
my street
The Building Better Cities Summit
series sets the benchmark for debate
and strategic thinking into the
challenges facing residential building.
ow in its fifth year, HIA
housing summits bring
together policy makers,
academics and private
stakeholders from Australia and
overseas to discuss key issues central
to Australia’s residential construction
industry. By bringing the current and
emerging issues to the forefront, HIA
has been able to lead the national
discussion and set the agenda for new
ideas and policy reform.
N
Previous summits have focused on a
range of topics, which have included
infrastructure funding and building
product compliance. In both of these
cases the Building Better Cities Summit
has laid the platform for wider discussion
and action: the federal government is
currently conducting an inquiry into the
delivery of infrastructure, while
momentum is continuing to gather for an
economy-wide approach to addressing
non-complying building products.
This year’s summit will draw attention
to the problem of housing delivery where
there are competing community interests,
particularly with respect to infill
development. Australia is confronted by a
range of hurdles preventing it from
reaching its housing needs, not the least
being the reluctance from many in the
community to accept further housing
development in their neighbourhood.
Australia is confronted by a range
of hurdles preventing it from
reaching its housing needs
The 2014 Building Better Cities
Summit: Housing Australia – not in my
street, will be a think-tank to debate
the competing priorities of a nation that
needs to build increasingly more
homes each year to house our growing
and ageing population, while managing
the amenity demands of existing
residents. The summit will be held on
24 July in Sydney. H
HOUSING AUSTRALIA:
“NOT IN MY STREET”
Australia must build over one million
homes by 2020. Join in the debate and
listen to speakers from around
Australia, Canada and the US.
Members $150
Non-Members $195
Register online at hia.com.au
SUMMIT
2014
IN
“NOT
MY STREET
”
Building Better Cities THURSDAY 24 JULY 2014 SOFITEL SYDNEY WENTWORTH
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On the hunt for a new vehicle?
We’ve got just the thing for you ...
Everything you need
to get some wheels
for your business
HIA Vehicles will:
° Find the right vehicle for you
° Help with the financing
° Sort out your insurance
Provide you with any additional services
° you
require during the life of your vehicle
Your hunt is over. Call HIA Vehicles today for more information.
Any vehicle, any where, any time.
Call 1300 650 776 or visit hiavehicles.com.au
National Policy Congress
determining the
HIA’s annual NPC is the
culmination of endless hours of
work from members across the
nation. Greg Weller reports.
s members are most probably
aware, every year HIA’s
National Policy Congress (NPC)
meets to discuss and debate the
issues impacting on the residential
building sector, and consider a range of
policy responses. But what exactly does
this mean? Who determines the issues,
and the position that your association
takes to all three levels of government?
Members might be surprised to learn
that by the time a policy has been
passed by NPC it has literally been
considered by hundreds of members
and debated at length. There are
actually around 1000 members
contributing to the various branch,
regional and service committees
across Australia each year. This is
important, given the essential role that
HIA’s policies play in the association’s
A
issues
daily work plan and the lives of
businesses involved in the residential
building industry.
While some policy decisions that
come out of NPC are in response to an
imminent threat or a government agenda
impacting on the sector that requires
immediate attention, many others set the
direction of the industry for months and
years to come. These act as guiding
principles for the association in its daily
advocacy activities and are relied upon
when different challenges arise.
When a problem or idea arises at the
grassroots level it will typically be
discussed at a regional branch committee
or one of the several service
committees, the latter of which could
have coverage of matters such as
building codes, training, planning or
legal and industrial, for example. This is
where members can first have their say
about the things that are threatening or
already impacting on their business.
Where an issue could affect members in
other jurisdictions, it is elevated to the
respective national service committee
(NSC), where the policy really begins to
take shape with the input of relevant
technical advice from HIA staff and
experienced industry professionals from
around the country.
With the proposal gathering
momentum, it is referred back to the
regional executive committee (REC) for
consideration by the senior members of
each region. This step provides an
important ‘reality check’ and ensures
that there are no unintended
consequences for members that haven’t
previously been apparent.
NPC is made up of 30 elected
members of the association
From here, a draft policy and briefing
paper is tabled with NPC, which is
made up of 30 elected members of the
association. After being debated, each
policy is moved to a vote, and if the
result is in the affirmative, it becomes
official policy for HIA across Australia.
While different approaches are often
required in dealing with varying laws
and regulations across state boundaries,
HIA policies are developed and
actioned nationally.
Unlike federated structures in other
associations that can often result in a
fragmented or inconsistent outcome, this
approach to policy development by HIA
and the depth of input and contribution
from members are the true strengths of
the association. And it’s not just new
policies that are considered, with HIA
recently introducing a new protocol that
reviews and updates policies every five
years to ensure that they remain current
and relevant to the issues of the day.
In May this year eight policy briefs
were considered, with all being passed
by NPC. These included issues as
diverse as energy efficiency, independent
contracting, industrial relations,
competition law and the environment.
To view published policies, members
can visit the media centre at the new
HIA website: www.hia.com.au/media
HOUSING JULY 2014
H
27
As a member of the Housing Industry Association, you can take advantage of Gold Fleet
Discounts across the Toyota range, excluding Special Edition models. And that could
save you thousands. With the savings you want and the durability you need, it’s a smart
way to stay ahead in business. Talk to a Fleet Specialist about the right vehicle for you.
7RɬQG\RXUORFDO)OHHW6SHFLDOLVW'HDOHUFDOO
2UIRUPRUHLQIRUPDWLRQDQGRɫHUVFDOO+,$RQ
2014
toyota.com.au
HIA Vehicles
brand
of choice
Photo courtesy Isuzu
As an exclusive service for HIA
members, HIA Vehicles is
dedicated to delivering genuine
savings to its customers.
IA Vehicles was launched in
March 2012 – an initiative to
make buying, financing, insuring
and caring for HIA member
vehicles more time-efficient and costeffective. With a wide range of vehicles
available, across more than 30 brands
that include passenger cars, utes, SUVs
and vans, HIA Vehicles is the perfect
choice for HIA members, their staff
and their families.
Offering very competitive prices
through its large network of
dealerships, HIA Vehicles is in the right
position to provide members with
thousands of dollars in savings when
purchasing a vehicle.
Delivering genuine savings is what
HIA Vehicles is all about, which is why
it has established deals with brands such
as Toyota and Isuzu to secure fleet level
pricing for members across all models.
These brands offer rebates to the
dealerships to promote sales at highly
discounted prices, meaning HIA
Vehicles will get the car cheaper for you
if you choose to drive away with any
model from the Toyota or Isuzu range.
H
If choosing Toyota, Gold Fleet
discounts are available on the entire
Toyota range, not just commercial
vehicles, and could save thousands on
your next purchase. But it’s not just a
great price you’ll be going home with.
Toyota is also committed to providing:
• the largest vehicle range
• the number one commercial range
• the number one workhorse – the
HiLux, now with five-star ANCAP
safety rating on all 4x4 models
• an extensive dealer network
• the Toyota Service Advantage,
meaning you’ll pay the same low price
from one logbook service to the next
• a number of genuine accessories
including park-assist, nudge bars, alloy
wheels, and many more depending on
the vehicle model chosen.
Isuzu is also on board with HIA
Vehicles by providing its own range of
special offers and pricing to members.
If it’s an Isuzu ute or SUV you’re after
then the benefits stand even higher than
just the discounted prices, especially
when choosing the D-MAX or MU-X.
Benefits include:
• reliability and durability of the 3.0L
turbo diesel Isuzu 4JJ engine, used
worldwide in Isuzu light trucks
• renowned Isuzu fuel economy such
as 8.1L/100kms on all 4x4 models
in automatic
• five-year warranty and five years
premium roadside assist
• five-star ANCAP safety rating on 4x4
crew cab D-MAXs and all MU-X models
• 3.5T towing on 4x4 D-MAX models
and 3T towing on 4x4 and 4x2
MU-X models.
With these two great brands to choose
from, HIA Vehicles can take the hassle out
of buying your next car or work vehicle.
As well, it can take care of your finance,
servicing, insurance, warranty, and
repairs, to name just a few.
HIA Vehicles has specialist consultants
on hand to do the legwork and help you
every step of the way. However, if you
prefer to approach a dealership yourself,
make sure you’re recognised as an HIA
member. The process is simple: just give
HIA Vehicles a call and staff will provide
you with proof of membership to take to
your chosen dealer, ensuring you receive the
highest standards and best price available.
These days, dealers will go that extra
mile just to secure a sale, but with HIA
Vehicles you have that extra peace of
mind that you are getting the best price
available. For all these reasons and more,
choose HIA Vehicles – or one of its
preferred dealers – to handle all your
vehicle purchasing needs.
For more information contact HIA
Vehicles on 1300 650 776 or visit
www.hiavehicles.com.au H
Photo courtesy Toyota
HOUSING JULY 2014
29
EXCLUSIVE
HIA MEMBER
OFFER!
GET NATIONAL FLEET PRICING PLUS
A $555 GIFT CARD ACROSS THE
ENTIRE D-MAX AND MU-X RANGE!
To secure this great offer contact HIA on 1300 650 620
ISUZUUTE.COM.AU
*To be eligible to receive National Fleet Pricing HIA member must hold a valid membership & provide a proof of membership letter at the time of purchase. Only at participating Isuzu UTE Dealers until 31/08/14, unless extended, varied or while stocks last.
‡555 gift card made available after purchase, administered by Emerchants and available for use wherever EFTPOS is accepted, card is not redeemable for cash. $555 gift card is only available to HIA members. Member must prove a valid HIA membership
at the time of purchase via a membership letter. ABN holders only. Excludes government, fleet, rental, non-profit and demonstrator vehicle buyers. Only at participating Isuzu UTE Dealers until 31/08/14 unless extended, varied or while stocks last. Not
available with any other offers. ^5 years or 130,000km whichever occurs first, for eligible customers; excludes accessories and trays. 5-star ANCAP safety rating on 4x4 D-MAX Crew Cab models built from November 2013 onwards and all MU-X models.
HIA Finance
finance
HIA Finance is perfectly positioned to
help finance all your property
development and construction needs.
hen it comes to property
development and
construction projects, the
return on your investment
(ROI) is important, so choosing the
right finance product is just as vital as
choosing the right building materials or
selecting the right location. Therefore,
with the right preparation and guidance,
obtaining finance for construction or
development can be easy.
When reviewing a construction or
development scenario, a finance
broker’s first consideration is the size of
your project. For a small development
(from a single spec house to about six
dwellings) there are a number of offthe-shelf construction loan products.
The next step is to address the range
of loan product criteria, for example:
• maximum loan size*
• the gearing or loan-to-value ratio (LVR)
• any pre-sales
• postcode location
• credit history of the borrower
• availability of supporting
documentation such as development
applications (DA) and plans.
For larger projects, such as apartment
blocks and subdivisions, non-bank and
private funders are the common source
of project financing.
Projects are quoted case-by-case,
making it vital to present a professional
application. A well-presented application
may result in a higher LVR and/or lower
interest rate. Where the risk has not been
presented well, the quote may be
disappointing, impacting your ROI. The
structure of your finance application can
be critical to a good outcome and is a
sound reason to use an experienced
consultant, such as HIA Finance.
One approach to funding larger
projects is to utilise gross realisable
W
HOUSING JULY 2014
development
value (GRV). This is based on the
completed sales value, after considering
the cost to complete the project. It’s
worth considering this approach where
there are limited or no pre-sales. If you
have to achieve 100 per cent debt
covering pre-sales in order to qualify for
construction finance, you may have to
discount your completed product in
order to sell it off the plan.
Yes, you will pay more for funding
that accepts no pre-sales, but look at the
numbers carefully and determine
whether it’s in fact cheaper overall to
pay a little extra for finance that allows
you to maximise the end sale price of
your product. The important point to
make here is that there are options and
the choice is yours, not the funder’s.
The structure of your finance
application can be critical to a
good outcome and is a sound
reason to use an experienced
consultant, such as HIA Finance
Regardless of the size of the project,
you must always address the basics:
• How much can I borrow?
• How much should I borrow?
• What will be the ROI on the project?
• What are the risks and how do I plan
to mitigate them?
HIA Finance has specialist finance
consultants that understand your needs
as a builder and/or developer and can
provide tailored solutions, for all your
funding needs.
To ensure your next big project is
hassle free, contact HIA Finance
on [email protected] or call
1300 889 442. H
Checking the boxes
The following is a good checklist to
work through for your initial
discussions with a development
finance consultant:
Project details
• type of property – residential,
commercial, residential
subdivision, etc.
• property description – zoning
and type of construction
• full address
• development approval in place
• building approval in place
• pre-sales – how many and what
is the sales value
• marketing strategy – how do
you propose to sell the
development?
Loan details
• full-doc or low-doc – are
financials available for
borrower/guarantor
• feasibility – sales, construction
costs, other costs, e.g.
consulting fees
• land – to purchase or already
owned (refinance amount)
• construction term/loan term –
when is the settlement and what
are the start dates
• loan amount required – how
much cash (real) equity is in the
deal
• borrowers credit history
• transaction history – e.g. who
else has the client spoken to
for finance?
*Please note that the maximum loan size can vary
significantly according to the LVR, for example; $1M,
single site, 75 per cent LVR; $2M, multiple sites, 70
per cent LVR; $5M, multiple sites, 65 per cent LVR.
31
WE ARE WORKING
TOGETHER
HIA and Bupa are working together to offer you and
your family the benefits of health insurance including:
° gap free general dental and physio for kids up to the age
of 25 at Members First Providers on selected covers*
° no excess on hospital cover for kids under 25**
° keep your mind and body active with some
great member discounts on things like gym
memberships, movie vouchers and theme park
entry. Visit bupa.com.au/memberexclusives for
more information.
Call 134 135 and quote ID 2083473
Email [email protected]
Visit bupa.com.au/corporate
username: hia and password: health
*Gap free general dental and physiotherapy is available on Ultimate Corporate Health Cover and Corporate Advantage and Corporate Classic covers (gap free general dental only on Platinum
Visitors Cover) when taken with hospital cover on a family membership, when treatment is provided by a Members First dentist or physiotherapist. Major dental only available in VIC and
SA, excludes orthodontics and hospital treatments. Annual limits, waiting periods and fund rules apply. Child dependants only. **No excess for kids is available on selected covers, including
Corporate Hospital Top, Corporate Hospital Intermediate and Platinum Visitors Cover with excess on family memberships. Bupa Australia Pty Ltd ABN 81 000 057 590.
115640514P
LOOKING FOR BETTER
FINANCING OPTIONS?
HIA Finance can help with a suite of financial
services for the residential building industry.
With HIA Finance you are guaranteed that
our initial approval will be honoured.
1 Construction loans
2 Residential mortgages for your customers
3 Low-doc loans
4 Commercial mortgages with no annual review
Not sure what you need to get started?
Need more information? Call for a consultation.
Call 1300 889 442
email: [email protected]
or visit hiafinance.com.au
Funding solutions are provided by Beyond The Banks, Australian Credit License Number 387381
HIA Telecommunications
clearing the
Manage and protect your
business through cloud
computing with help from HIA
Telecommunications.
s people gain a better
understanding of cloud
computing and its benefits, it’s
becoming more and more
commonplace to choose this technology
as an entire business management tool.
With cloud applications, both everyday
and complex tasks, from emails to
accounting, become simpler to manage.
It doesn’t matter how big or small
your business is, what you do, or how
technologically savvy you are, cloud
computing has something for everyone.
From the latest software and
communication tools, to servers, storage
and internet security, the cloud can help
by providing a smarter and more costeffective solution to manage and protect
your business.
Used to store data as well as deliver
software, cloud computing is a ‘virtual
grid’ run from data centres that are
specifically designed to keep computers
going – under just about any
circumstances. With the cloud, all
applications are provided as an online
service, which can be purchased
through a portal then scaled up or down
as you need them. And the best thing is
there are no large up-front payments as
you can choose monthly or pay-as-yougo options depending on the software.
And updates can be applied automatically.
By connecting to the cloud through
Telstra, even when on the road, every
staff member will still be able to set up
meetings, share documents, or talk
virtually face-to-face. By using office
management business applications such
as Microsoft Office 365 or Workforce
Guardian, you could save up-front costs
and simplify tasks such as sending
emails, authoring and sharing documents.
Using cloud computing through
Telstra means you also have access to
A
HOUSING JULY 2014
clouds
high-quality security and backup for
your entire organisation. Security
applications available will provide you
with end-to-end security for all your
desktops, laptops and file servers.
Installation occurs over the web and
updates are applied automatically, even
when you’re not in the office. As well,
selected security software is available
by subscription, meaning you can
increase or decrease the protection as
you need it.
Server backups are another form of
data protection available through the
cloud. By remotely backing up all your
business data onto the cloud with
Telstra Cloud Services’ pay-as-you-go
model, you are ensuring business
continuity if disaster strikes. In
addition, server backup allows for
the archiving of emails, so effective
sending and receiving is maintained,
and email data is safe and secure.
Using cloud computing through
Telstra means you also have access
to high-quality security and back-up
for your entire organisation
Instead of having physical servers on
your premises, cloud computing
provides virtual servers to store, track,
manage and process your business data.
As well, using these remote servers –
hosted securely by Telstra – means no
more worrying about maintaining and
depending on ageing hardware.
Cloud computing services are
available for small businesses through to
enterprise and government customers.
And it’s easy to get started with HIA
Telecommunications. Just remember,
you don’t have to move your entire
business onto the cloud at once; small
steps are recommended.
Storing your business data has never
been easier. Do your research, join
a reliable provider, and ask an expert
from HIA Telecommunications to help
A mobile business
These days, having a mobile
phone is like having another limb,
so it makes sense to develop
business applications specifically
for your mobile.
In the building and construction
industry, most work takes place
on site and often at several
different locations, so the following
apps available through the cloud
could be just what you need to
take your business’ productivity
to the next level:
• Canvas – replaces paper forms
with digital; allows for electronic
signatures.
• ARISapp – communicate with
your team wherever they are;
distribute training materials,
collect feedback from field staff.
• GeoOp – replaces the pen-andpaper approach to job
management; locates field staff;
allows you to allocate jobs as
they arise; add notes about the
job, send quotes and invoices.
• Garmin Navigator – turns your
smartphone into a GPS device
with 3D junction views, petrol
prices, live traffic and speed
alerts; allows your mobile
workforce to choose the fastest
route available.
To talk to an expert contact
HIA Telecommunications on
1300 187 285 or email
[email protected]
you get the most out of this technology
for your business.
For more information visit
www.hia.com.au/telco H
33
MY
HIA
gets you to
your information
FAST
With the new search functionality
you can filter your search by:
> Topic type – what you need
> Content type – what you want
> Area – where you are
With the new HIA website, your information
needs are as easy as Click and Find.
hia.com.au
access made easy
hia.com.au
service
The new-look hia.com.au is
tailored to each member’s needs.
ave you visited hia.com.au
recently? Our newly renovated
website features a streamlined
new look, simplified navigation,
and improved search functions. The
new and improved hia.com.au is all
about offering members the best online
experience by putting all the information
you need right at your fingertips.
Most importantly, the website is tailored
to each member’s individual needs. Your
personalised login will provide fast and
easy access to the MyHIA member
H
to suit
dashboard, where you can manage your
CPD Diary and TradeBuild listings,
book in for training and events, and take
advantage of exclusive member pricing
with Shop@HIA. The website also
offers a range of member-only
information and exclusive new offers.
So, how can you unearth this wealth
of new material? It’s simple; all you
have to do is activate your login, and
you only have to do it once.
To activate your login, visit hia.com.au
and select ‘Membership’ from the top
menu, then go down to ‘My Account’ to
open the login page. Underneath the
orange ‘login’ button, select the ‘activate’
hyperlink and follow the prompts to fill
in your name and HIA membership
number. (Can’t remember your
membership number? Call us on
02 6245 1347 and we can provide it
to you over the phone.)
Once you receive a confirmation
email from HIA, your login activation
is complete and you’re ready to jump
onto the new site anytime you like,
using your email address and password.
And if you ever forget your password,
just click on the ‘Forgotten password’
link, enter your email and HIA will
send you a new one straight away.
So why wait? Activate your login
and start getting the most out of
hia.com.au H
contracts
online
produce your contracts the fast, simple and secure way online
Whether you are a small business needing a few contracts or a medium-tolarge business with many contracts, you can now create all your hard copy
contracts online.
There are heaps of features like customising and personalising your contracts,
creating templates, secure storage, unlimited and instant downloads. Plus as
legislation changes, you can be assured that the contracts are always up-to-date.
You can also get integrated and have your business system talking directly with
HIA Contracts Online which means you’re no longer entering the same information
into different systems.
‘A process that used to take
a staff member 15 minutes
has been reduced to
1-2 minutes per job’
Contracts Online takes the hassle out of managing contracts so you can focus on running
your business.
Jeremy Bree,
Henley Properties, Victoria
Get online today!
To get contracts online jump on to hia.com.au/contracts
Or to get integrated call 1300 650 620
36
HOUSING JULY 2014
Home of the Year
understated
luxury
Simplicity, quality workmanship and
high-end materials combine to give
this home the essence of resort
living, writes Gabrielle Chariton.
ach year, the HIA–CSR Australian
Housing Awards showcase the
talents of Australia’s top housing
professionals. Innovative,
inspirational and breathtaking, the
winning projects represent the pinnacle
of achievement within our industry.
These are Australia’s dream homes – the
sort many of us dream of building, and
many of us dream of living in.
The project that took out top honours at
the 2014 awards – winning both the
custom built home and home of the year
categories – epitomises ‘dream home’.
Designed and built by Perth company
Giorgi Exclusive Homes, the two-storey
beauty embodies that effortless,
understated luxury and seamless flow
between interior and exterior living spaces
that we associate with resort living.
Giorgi Exclusive Homes started
building houses around Perth in 1994,
and over the years has progressed into
the high-end residential market. Owner
Claude Giorgi says that in response to
the needs of its client base, the company
registered as an architectural practice
about five years ago, and now also
provides in-house cabinet design and
interior design services. ‘The move to
high-end was just the natural
progression of our business. It was
probably a combination of our market
wanting to grow in that area, and there
was a market there for it.’
The award-winning home, which sits
within an established neighbourhood in
E
the exclusive Perth suburb of Dalkeith,
was built to showcase the breadth of
services offered by Giorgi Exclusive
Homes. ‘I suppose one of the key
elements was that we wanted to
demonstrate all our disciplines and skills,
from architecture and build quality
through to interior and cabinet design,’
Claude says. ‘So we designed a home that
had all those elements of our disciplines.’
‘The building has two separate
steel-clad roofs; one underneath
and a curved one on top’
From the street, the home is
architecturally intriguing: with stone
cladding and austere alpolic (aluminium
composite) blockwork walls giving way to
a gently undulating roofline, with soffits
lined in cedar. This visual interplay of
sleek, contemporary lines tempered by the
warmth of natural finishes is a constant
throughout the home.
Internally, it’s a true homage to lavish
living, with no expense spared. A media
room, wine cellar and tasting room,
integrated C-Bus technologies, motorised
louvres, motorised cabinetry drawers, and
an infinity pool that beckons from the
Right: At the awards on behalf of Giorgi Exclusive
Homes: Mark Rietveld and Michelle Mok.
HOUSING JULY 2014
37
DON’T
COMPROMISE
SCYON™
SCIENCE
Scyon™ advanced cement composite
is the building material with heavy duty
performance and enhanced workability.
Its performance and unique properties
stem from an amalgamation of:
DNA of James
Hardie Durability
2
Enhanced
CLD™ Technology
3
Advanced
Manufacturing
Technology
TE
CH
Y
CE
AN D
D
CL
ENH
1
N O LO
G
Its innovation has enabled the creation
of Scyon™ building products, that are:
■ Durable,
■ Thick, yet light in weight,
■ Easy to handle, cut, gun nail and install.
INKREDIBLE 1985-17
To date, no other competitor
has been able to copy it or
duplicate Scyon™ materials’
long list of benefits.
Y
TE
CH
D
CL
ENH
Additional installation information, warranties and
warnings are available at www.scyon.com.au
CE
AN D
N O LO
G
NOTHING
COMPARES
© 2014 James Hardie Australia Pty Ltd ABN 12 084 635 558.
™
and ® denote a trademark owned by James Hardie Technology Limited.
Home of the Year
living areas are just a few of the
extravagant inclusions that take this
home into its own stratosphere of luxury.
However, there’s nothing really
ostentatious about it: the carefully
designed layout gives space and light top
billing, all skilfully enhanced by a
combination of high-end, yet understated
finishing materials – namely cedar,
Carrara marble and glass.
The considered application of finishes,
as well as the masterful harnessing of
space impressed the HIA judges: ‘This
home is a clever example of the subtle
balance required between contemporary
architectural proportion and material
selections. It perfectly demonstrates the
principle of less-is-more, with a small
number of materials used selectively
throughout the entire home.’
Despite all the high-tech gadgetry and
lavish inclusions, the home has solid
sustainable principles at its core. It’s
designed to maximise solar gain and
ventilation, and inclusions such as
double glazing, photovoltaic power
generation, water harvesting and
recycling systems, and energy and
energy-monitoring systems help the
home earn its NATHERS rating of 7.5.
‘You don’t go out looking to win
awards, you just have a passion
to do what you believe is right’
The home was inspired by the cool,
airy styling of high-end tropical resorts.
‘You tend to go into these resorts and go,
“this is a really nice place to be, why can’t
we build a home like that?”’ Claude says.
‘We wanted to create a home that had a
true indoor-outdoor feel, so when you
walk into the home you really sense that
you are part of the environment rather
than just inside an area of a house.’
The finished home truly embraces the
outdoors. Utility rooms were placed
along the southern wall, allowing all the
living areas to face north. These areas
are divided from each other and the
outdoors with a series of customdesigned oversized pivoting doors,
concealed sliding glass doors and even
secret hidden doors, all working together
to create endlessly flexible interior and
exterior zones.
Visually, the seamless flow between
indoors and out was also achieved by
HOUSING JULY 2014
Building a niche
extending the neutral colour palette and
use of natural stone and timber finishes
from the interiors right out into the
outdoor living areas and pool surrounds.
Claude says that because the site ran
east-west, maintaining privacy from
adjacent homes while facing the living
areas to the north presented a challenge.
‘We created privacy screens that were sort
of off the building itself, and we came off
the boundary fencing by a metre and then
created high walls, set with open
windows to create a secluded backyard.’
Structurally, the home is fairly
complex, and the 20-month build
required careful forward-planning and
demanded a high level of craftsmanship
from all trades involved. ‘The building
has two separate steel-clad roofs; one
underneath and a curved one on top,’
Claude says. ‘So it wasn’t just a
traditional build. Also the different mix
of materials we were working with, the
stone, the timber and the alpolic,
presented challenges. It was one of those
processes where you needed to do three
steps before you got to the final step, so
there were a lot of intermediate steps
before you got to the final finish.’
Claude is quietly pleased with the
finished home, which he feels
successfully ‘captures the essence of
resort life’. Recognition from industry
peers at a national level is simply the
icing on the cake. ‘You don’t go out
looking to win awards, you just have a
Twenty years after its inception,
Giorgi Exclusive Homes has grown
and adapted with its market and,
with the addition of in-house
architectural services, become one
of Perth’s leading prestige home
builders. Owner Claude Giorgi is
now ready to drive the business into
another emerging niche: ‘high-end
residential apartments,’ he says. The
company has already completed
what Claude describes as ‘probably
the most exclusive apartment site in
Perth, overlooking the Swan River’.
It’s a natural progression for the
business, as baby-boomers
downsize from family homes into
something more manageable –
without giving up their standard of
living. ‘The apartment market in
Perth has just been growing but
there’s certainly a niche market for
our demographics,’ Claude
explains. ‘We’re still doing
residential but it’s just a natural
progression; identifying two
different markets but still within our
own skill base.’
passion to do what you believe is right
and I suppose winning the awards is an
indication that what we are doing is
correct,’ he says. ‘The principal thing is
that we do what we do because we have
a passion for it: the discipline between
architecture, construction and finishes
is an integrated approach and that’s
probably the real key for us.’ H
39
Business Profile
business
Quality workmanship supported by
high level professionalism and
personal service has proved a
winner for this business couple.
Graham Cooke reports.
Perth company, Amerex
Renovations and Additions,
which has been working for the
city’s residents to improve and
extend their homes for more than a
quarter of a century, has been named
2014 HIA Australian Professional Small
Builder/Renovator of the Year.
Founder of Amerex, Steve Burke,
says the company has won the Western
Australian award four times, so taking
out the national title is a great thrill;
‘Recognition for all the hard work we
have been doing,’ he says.
And when a business like his has to
compete in the market alongside far
bigger companies with greater
resources, the point of difference has to
be personalised service, he adds.
A
smarts
‘When you go to one of the big boys,
you will probably see a sales person
initially, and you gradually get passed
down the line.
‘With Amerex the clients see me, the
builder, first up. They will see me
regularly during the project, at the end
when we hand it over – and six months
later when I come back and check that
they are happy with everything.
‘One thing I have learned over the
years is never to cut corners. Maybe you
will get away with it a few times, but
eventually it will come back to bite you
and that’s your reputation damaged.
Short-term gain never translates into
long-term credibility.’
Some of the projects Amerex has
been asked to tackle involve houses that
are more than a century old. ‘Lots of
clients want their properties to reflect
the era in which they were built which
means we restore and, if necessary,
replace the high ceilings, fancy
cornices, ceiling roses and jarrah timber
floorboards to suit that period.
‘Of course, everyone wants 21st century
kitchens and bathrooms, and many clients
ask for more open plan [designs] because
these buildings are typically dark, with a
passage down the centre and rooms off to the
sides, so it’s important we get a seamless
flow from old into new.’
Working among these old properties,
often in the inner city, presents its special
challenges. ‘You can run into access
restrictions, not only for parking but for
the delivery of materials and scaffolding,
especially as a good number of houses are
double-storey,’ Steve says.
‘There was one job where we had to
construct an underground tunnel over an
existing sewerage line just so we could
build on top of it – it meant a lot of
shoring and underpinning.
‘Short-term gain never translates
into long-term credibility’
‘Some of the building methods in those
days were not as good as they are now – the
footings are not always substantial enough –
and that can mean issues with underpinning,
both with the property you are working on
and those of the neighbours.’
On top of that he has to deal with local
council building requirements. ‘There are
often overlooking issues with top storeys,
balconies and windows, and restrictions on
height and the setback from the main street.’
One job of which he is particularly
proud was completed in the suburb of
Mt Lawley for a couple who had recently
emigrated from South Africa. ‘We worked
out a design to their very specific requests
then spent four months negotiating it
through the council,’ he says.
‘The clients took an interest in everything
we did and were in communication with us
almost every day, wanting to know how the
job was progressing. In the end they were
really happy with the outcome, which
included repurposing original stained glass
windows, and personal touches such as
Left: The Amerex team (L–R) Maryanne Cooley,
Peter Norvilas, Howard Tamariki, Steve Burke,
Suzanne Burke, and Loreta Roach.
40
HOUSING JULY 2014
A winning combination
feature tiles in their fireplace surround
that came with them from South Africa
and had great sentimental value.
‘Their home was a finalist in the 2013
HIA awards, and received a high
commendation in the City of Stirling
Heritage Awards in June this year.
‘They initially approached us because
they saw the work we were doing on a
house next door. That’s how we get a
great deal of our work. Sometimes we
start one project in a street and end up
doing two or three.’
Ironically, it is the newer homes from
the 1960s that often present more
renovation problems than their older
counterparts.‘The older houses tended
to be built front-to-back on the block
with a passageway down the middle, so
it’s fairly simple to knock the back off
and give the client a new kitchen,
living and dining space, bathroom,
laundry and alfresco area, which is
what most of them want,’ Steve says.
‘Renovations of 1960s houses are
sometimes much harder because they
tend to be built horizontally across the
block where you walk straight into the
lounge room with just the kitchen-dining
after that, and a passage to the bedrooms
and bathroom.
‘That makes it hard to come up with a
cost-efficient design without knocking
down most of the existing house. The
HOUSING JULY 2014
best answer is to put on a second story
where you lose a bedroom for the
staircase and gain two or three with an
ensuite upstairs.
‘However, that sometimes falls foul
of council height restrictions.’
Amerex Renovations and Additions
completes 10–12 projects a year –
roughly the same number as it has been
taking on for the past two decades. It
employs two full-time carpenters, one
who began with the company 12 years
ago as an apprentice, a general hand and
a number of regular subcontractors.
Steve is also looking seriously at another
youngster, currently on work experience
from school, as an apprentice.
‘We have found our unique niche in
the marketplace. It’s not about size.
We simply build high quality renovations
and additions, with a level of
professionalism and personal service that
our clients love. I expect to be still doing
this 10 years from now and beyond.’
He is grateful for the assistance that
HIA has given him over his 16 years
of membership.
‘They have been fantastic for us, and
it’s not just the awards but the
paperwork, documentation, and the
courses they run. If we need to clarify
something, there is always someone we
can ring. They keep us up-to-date with
the latest developments.’ H
Amerex Renovations and Additions
has received one previous HIA
national award when in 2013
Suzanne Burke won Business Partner
of the Year. Housing recognised
Suzanne’s win with a profile in the
July 2013 issue of the magazine.
Husband Steve says that while
they initially both had doubts about
whether it would be a good idea for
husband and wife to work together,
the outcome has been a huge
benefit to the company.
‘There are four main aspects to
running a business in the building
industry,’ Steve says. ‘There’s the
actual work on site, the accounts,
customer service and sales. It’s very
hard to be good at all of them.
‘It’s a very complicated world –
you have WorkSafe, the Fair Work
Act, the Building Commission – all
with their eyes on you.
‘The Tax Department is watching
that we send in the correct reports
on our subcontractors, and with
home indemnity insurance the
underwriters want your financials
every year so they can be satisfied
your business is viable.
‘So bringing Suzanne on board
with her background as a business
system analyst has brought an
increased degree of professionalism
to those areas and leaves me free to
get on with what I do best, which is
working with clients to produce the
outstanding outcomes they want.’
41
Display Home of the Year
the accidental
display home
A last-minute decision by clients
created a win all round with
this Canberra home. Graham
Cooke reports.
he 2014 HIA Display Home of
the Year wasn’t meant to be a
display home at all, as its builder,
Ivan Juric, of Canberra’s Better
Building Services, explains.
‘We actually built it for clients, but a
few weeks before the handover they told
us they had decided to rent it for a year
before moving in,’ Ivan says.
‘I immediately offered to rent it from
them as a display home. We’ve built
display homes in the past and won local
and national awards with them, but by
doing it this way people can come in
and touch and feel our genuine work,
T
42
not something where they might think
we had made a special effort just to
showcase what we can do.
‘It was more economical for us,
it solved the client’s problem and it
won a national award. It was a win
for everyone.’
Ivan is especially proud of the award,
won in conjunction with TT
Architecture, because of the challenges
the project presented.
‘It is a fantastic site, one in a strip of
only free-standing single residential
dwellings on Kingston Foreshore,
overlooking a park and with views of
Lake Burley Griffin,’ he says.
‘But the land on which we built was
reclaimed and highly contaminated from
an old print-works that used to be there.
As a result we had to drill piers down
about 10 metres over the entire site.
While drilling we found a gooey black
Above: Ivan Juric of Better Building Services
with his 2014 national award.
substance that I presume came from the
printing presses.
‘There were strict controls on the
removal of the fill which was done by the
ACT Government; then fresh,
uncontaminated fill had to be brought in.’
Ivan says the twin 5000-litre water
tanks under the timber deck of an internal
courtyard made it an exceptionally
technical build. The fact the house
covered the entire block was an additional
problem solved by builder of the house
next door, who wasn’t ready to start,
allowing his block to be used for storage.
However, the result was worth all the
early headaches. Laser lights, sound
system and a protected top deck with
stunning views are just some of the
features, but the internal courtyard, with
its open-air privacy, is not only an
engineering triumph, it brings the sun into
every recess of the two-storey home.
Hydronic heating, which distributes
water warmed on the roof by the northern
sun, is sufficient to keep everything warm
on all but the most cloudy winter days
when a gas-fired backup cuts in. Solar
HOUSING JULY 2014
panels for electricity generation mean
the house complies with stringent
energy-efficient standards.
The owner also required an elevator.
‘He really doesn’t need it now, but he is
looking to the future when old football
injuries may become a problem,’ Ivan
says. ‘It is actually a far-sighted move
because when the house comes to be
sold, the fact it is two storeys will not be
such a drawback to potential buyers who
may have difficulty with stairs.’
He says his favourite feature is the
pop-up roof and the Alucobond cladding
that wraps around the top. ‘We have
never done this before and it actually
serves no practical purpose. It is purely
an architectural feature that sets this
home apart from others in the street;
something that makes it a little unique.’
A passer-by will immediately be struck
by a set of purple louvres that run from
ground-level to the roof. Is this another
architectural feature put in for effect?
‘Certainly not. The frame is made
from steel with aluminium louvres and is
one of the keys to the structure,
supporting the two beams that run across
the middle and top of the house,’ Ivan
says. ‘It was another tricky piece of
engineering that was worth the effort we
put into it.
‘In fact everything about this home is
fairly technical, but it has resulted in a
high-quality outcome and a super-happy
customer, which is gold for us because
all our work is by referral.’
‘The land was reclaimed and
highly contaminated from an old
print-works that used to be there’
Ivan admits the excitement at winning
an HIA national award – this is his ninth
– never wears off. ‘In fact there is even
more satisfaction these days, because it is
really much tougher than when I started
winning at a local level in 1998,’ he says.
‘I have to say that in those days there
was not a great deal of competition in
the ACT and district, but it has changed
dramatically in more recent times. There
are no bad builders about these days.
‘In Canberra the quality [of building]
has improved out-of-sight. I have
won almost 100 awards at local level,
but I have to work harder for them
every year.’
HOUSING JULY 2014
Dream merchant
One thing Ivan plans to correct in the
future is the perception he is an
exclusive builder for the wealthy. ‘While
it is true that we build mainly top-end
homes, it is not true that we are
expensive,’ he says.
‘The top-end clients choose elite, and
often costly, inclusions to go in their
homes and this increases the overall price.
‘Our subcontractors, however, do not
charge a premium for the work they do for
us and are comparable to the same work
done by contractors on a project home.
‘So the next big thing for us is to
deliver some of our building magic and
quality to the second-home buyer market
– into that $500,000 spend.
‘We have opened up a display home in
this cost bracket at the new housing
estate at Googong, just past Queanbeyan
– it’s built with the same philosophy that
we put into our big expensive projects at
the top-end – and hopefully in a year or
two you will be able to see how
successful we have been.’
This is marking another stage in the
development of the company he founded
with his wife, Isabella, and $2000 in the
bank 20 years ago. The pair are still at
the heart of the business which now
employs around a dozen full-time staff
and hundreds of subcontractors.
One thing that Ivan Juric hates to see
is a client’s dream ruined.
‘When I started this business there
were so many people coming into the
office with architect’s plans they had
spent ridiculous amounts of money
on and had fallen in love with, only to
find the build was way outside what
they could afford,’ he says.
He cites some clients coming in
with plans that were double their
budget; and often triple or more. ‘It
means that we have to throw their
dream away and start from scratch.
That can be really hard.
‘So we do things the other way
round: we go through the cost
planning with the client then go to the
architect – still national award-winning
architects, interior designers and
landscape architects – but all the time
working with something that is inside
their budget.
‘That way they fall in love with a
home that will become a reality and
their dream is preserved.’
‘I think we have reached our optimum
size – I wouldn’t want to be much
bigger,’ he says.
‘You know, I would work for nothing
if I didn’t need the money. I love the
business and I will probably go on
building our 10 to 15 homes a year
until I drop.’ H
43
Business Partner Network
the art of
embellishment
Members at this year’s BPN
lunch discovered there’s much
more to Camilla Franks than just
kaftans. Greg Weller reports.
amilla Franks’ garments are
instantly recognisable to
fashionistas. Her unique prints
combined with natural materials
have transformed the kaftan from the
hippy trail of the seventies and launched
it to the height of international fashion.
Her trademark garments can now be
found in the wardrobes of women all
over Australia, and celebrities across the
world, including Oprah Winfrey,
Miranda Kerr, Kate Hudson, Lilly
Allen and Beyoncé Knowles.
C
Reversing the trend of many
Australian fashion labels that have been
in decline – Little Joe, Lisa Ho, Bettina
Liano and Kirrily Johnston to name a
few that have recently found themselves
in administration – the CAMILLA label
has gone from strength to strength, with
350 stockists around the globe, seven
stand-alone stores, and recently
celebrating 10 years in operation.
Camilla is also a regular on Australian
TV screens and has appeared on Project
Runway and Australia’s Next Top Model,
inspiring the next generation of designers.
So with an eye for what looks stylish
while remaining functional, and the
LUNCH WITH
business acumen to take her to the top of
the Australian fashion industry, she was an
ideal choice for keynote speaker at the
annual Business Partner Network (BPN)
lunch on the Gold Coast.
Camilla appeared courtesy of HIA’s
partner for the event, Austral Bricks, in a
union that was perhaps less immediately
obvious to the audience. However, as
Camilla explained, one of the central
tenants of her design philosophy is to
‘re-imagine’, and take something familiar
and find new ways to express herself
through it. Much in the way that the
humble brick has transformed from an
elementary building material to a feature
of the modern home, combining
comfortable living with striking aesthetics.
Growing up living in homes designed
by her architect father gave Camilla an
appreciation of the building industry and
what could be achieved with vision and
imagination. In an insightful questionand-answer session with the luncheon’s
host – popular television personality
Shelley Craft – Camilla explained that it
was as a child in a creative household
where her love of design first began.
Camilla [developed] an appreciation of
the building industry and what could be
Lunch proudly supported by
achieved with vision and imagination
Though fashion was not the immediate
career path she travelled when, much to
her parents chagrin, Camilla decided to
embark on a career in theatre.
‘I remember the shock from my
parents when I told them that this was
what I wanted to do, but it turned out to
be very important in terms of my
journey,’ she recalled.
Left: Fashion designer Camilla Franks as
keynote speaker at this year’s BPN luncheon.
44
HOUSING JULY 2014
Beauty and the brick
‘During the early days of travelling
with shows I first decided to design my
own costumes, which reflected the
character of the parts I was playing.
‘Over time the designs became more
creative and flamboyant. Women loved
my costumes and the demand grew, so
I decided to launch my own label.’
Highlighting her versatility, in the
early days Camilla also turned her hand
to event management, relating to the
audience the challenge and excitement
of hosting parties at the home of the late
Rene Rivkin. Her understanding of
events and theatre still remains evident
in what she does today, with the
CAMILLA brand as much of an
experience as it is a design.
Camilla’s debut collection was
launched during 2004, though despite
her current success it was by no means
an easy ride to the top. Camilla spoke
about the need to improvise and have an
‘all hands to the wheel’ approach to the
growing business.
‘Surround yourself with good
people and don’t lose focus on
why you went into business’
‘We were a very small, although
committed team, and as we grew and
began dealing with more customers and
suppliers. I remember often answering
the telephone and then transferring it to
accounts or purchasing, which of course
would be me as well.’
And Camilla’s advice to the business
partners in the audience?
‘Surround yourself with good people
and don’t lose focus on your dream and
why you went into business.’
While not wanting to be defined by
the signature kaftan alone, Camilla
Franks acknowledges the importance of
Above: (L–R) HIA National President Ron
Dwyer, Camilla Franks, Shelley Craft, and
HIA Managing Director Shane Goodwin.
Left: Camilla Franks (centre), and her
‘angels’, show off her glamorous kaftans.
HOUSING JULY 2014
Inspired by Camilla Franks’
journeys through Central America,
the latest Austral Bricks collection –
From Mexico City to Oaxaca –
features rich metallic and bold
primary colours, perfect for
contemporary architectural projects
and infused with Camilla’s
distinctive design sensibility.
Travelling through Mexico, Camilla
found beauty in the vibrant colours,
fascinating history and architectural
texture that has made Mexico both
a popular holiday destination and a
hotspot for art, craft and design.
The collection draws upon the
beauty Camilla observed in Mexico –
the colonial grandeur and cobbled
streets of Mexico City, the earthy
tones of the Teotihuacan pyramids
and Aztec treasures, and the
Spanish-infused culture of
Coyoacan and Oaxaca.
The resulting collaboration with
Austral Bricks has delivered a
product that is warm and inviting,
infused with Camilla’s fashionforward design sense. The
distinctive palette was designed to
be long-lasting and adaptable for a
range of contemporary projects. The
cool Azure and Aubergine hues are
balanced by the warm Sol, Flame
and Rosado, while Oro Rosa (rose
gold), Plata Brilliante (glossy silver)
and Oro Brilliante (glossy gold) bring
a touch of luxury to the collection.
Austral Bricks has been one
of Australia’s leading brick
manufacturers for more than
100 years, employing pioneering
manufacturing technology and
innovative environmental protections.
the garment in her business, though tries
not to overcomplicate it or reinvent the
wheel each year, sticking to eight basic
patterns in the internationally sold label.
‘A kaftan is comfortable and celebrates
all women, no matter what age, size or
shape they are,’ Camilla says.
‘We cater to women aged into their
80s, the pregnant woman, the more-tolove woman; really any woman at all.
‘It’s like wearing a piece of art. The
print, the embellishment all makes them
unique. And you have to love that.’ H
45
Business Partner of the Year
positive
This Cairns business partner credits
positive energy and thinking outside
the square for her winning formula.
Jessica Deotto reports.
s co-owner of a relatively new
business, Cairns business
partner Heather Ghidella is no
stranger to hard work, but has
taken it all in her stride – including the
start-up of MyStyle Homes with partner
Grant Hartwig in 2011. ‘In Cairns it
was the economic downturn, so it was
tough,’ Heather explains. ‘A lot of
builders were going under, and we really
had to start thinking outside the square.’
And that’s exactly what they did.
With a passion for the building industry,
Heather and Grant decided to take the
leap and create a business they could be
proud of. ‘We were actually involved in
a franchise at the time, but decided to
A
enforcement
exit from there, and re-brand and
re-market ourselves.’
Three years later and MyStyle Homes
is not just a future goal, but a wellbranded and successful North
Queensland business that builds quality,
innovative and liveable homes.
Branding a new business is not the
easiest feat, particularly in a declining
market; however, MyStyle Homes has
managed to emerge on top. ‘We aim for
steady, controlled growth, while still
providing the best customer service,’
Heather says.
And although her title may say ‘sales
manager’, Heather’s role since inception
has been one that is as diverse as they
come. ‘Within the business I am coowner, designer, marketing manager,
and human resource and office
manager; then outside of the business
I am partner to an amazing man, and
mother to two wonderful children.’ And
even though her life is clearly busy, she
wouldn’t have it any other way.
Having only been involved in the
building industry for the past five years,
learning as she goes is a skill Heather
developed quickly. ‘What I’ve learnt is
just to find my niche and not to worry
about what everyone else is doing.’
Instilling this attitude within herself has
allowed Heather to help ‘create a
business with flexibility and no design
constraints’.
A focus on design has become a real
passion for Heather, and has allowed her
to really flex her muscles alongside
partner, Grant. ‘That’s how we work
together,’ she says. ‘With Grant being
the builder, I help come up with the
ideas, and he makes everything work.
‘The design element of my position
allows my creative edge to thrive,’ she
adds. ‘We truly recognise the everchanging needs of the client [and] raise
Left: Back row (L–R) Heather Ghidella, Nate
Myles from NRL’s Gold Coast Titans, and Grant
Hartwig. Front row (L–R) Heather’s niece
Lidija and children Makayla and Harry.
46
the bar to create homes customised to
each client’s needs.’
This attention to detail has been a
huge success, with MyStyle Homes
taking home nine regional HIA awards
in 2013 alone. ‘It was certainly
confirmation of the hard work, energy
and passion we have invested into the
business,’ Heather says.
As well, Heather was personally
recognised when she won 2014 HIA
Business Partner of the Year at the
national housing awards in May.
‘What I’ve learnt is just to find my
niche and not to worry about what
everyone else is doing’
‘Winning the national award didn’t even
enter my mind, because there are so
many amazing women in the industry,’
she says. ‘I was completely shocked.
I can’t get over it.’
To keep up the high standard though is
often where the challenge lies, Heather
says. ‘We have to make sure that we
continue to grow, that we’ve got the
quality and the detail, and that we don’t
miss anything.
‘We are continually striving to be a
leader, and this is where being different
and unique is important.’
Keeping up-to-date with training is
also important to Heather, who believes
that by providing these opportunities to
her staff, they will all be better equipped
to excel within the business. ‘I’ve done
a lot of training since starting MyStyle,’
she says. ‘I’m always keen to learn.
‘All our staff, as well as Grant and I,
are now HIA GreenSmart Professionals,’
she adds. ‘I enjoy educating customers
on going “green”, and how they can
implement energy-saving elements into
their home.’
As well as providing training
opportunities, Heather also credits a
strong brand and marketing approach
in helping MyStyle get to where it is
HOUSING JULY 2014
Homes, she believes one of the keys to
success is having the right people around
you. ‘I believe in a flat level of
management where staff are involved in
decisions,’ she says. ‘It’s all about
communication.
‘This business would not have seen
the success it has without the team we
have to make it happen,’ Heather
explains. ‘My team know that I get my
hands dirty, and that I don’t expect
anything from them that I cannot or
would not do myself.’
And it’s this leading by inspirational
example that Heather tries to bring to the
office every day. ‘I do what I love, and I
love what I do,’ she says. ‘And I love
recognising success and best practice, and
enjoy rewarding staff for these things.
‘I am always positive, because your
[business’] energy starts at the top.’ H
Community spirit
today. ‘We employ two marketing
people, so I work very closely with
them to develop the ideas, and then
help to make them work.
‘Our display homes are also absolutely
critical to our marketing,’ she adds.
‘They are quite unique and that helps to
set us apart.
‘The hardest thing in our industry
though is trust,’ Heather adds. ‘So it’s
imperative to spend time listening to the
client to really find out their lifestyle
needs, then work together to create a
quality home.’
As with any business partner,
managing that balance between work
and home life is never easy,
particularly when you work full-time.
‘I still manage to do the school runs,
because my kids are only 10 and 12, so
I make sure I’m still always there for
them,’ she says. ‘I have actually learnt
HOUSING JULY 2014
to say no, and develop some really
good time-management skills.’
Dinner time and catching up around
the table are important, as are the regular
family holidays. ‘We generally go away
every school holidays in order to get that
good quality family time,’ Heather adds.
‘The design element of my position
allows my creative edge to thrive’
‘To now be able to manage both a new
business and my family, and for all areas
to be thriving is one of my greatest
achievements.’
Starting MyStyle Homes with an idea
to deliver something unique, Heather is
still dedicated to consistently delivering
this goal three years later. With 11 fulltime employees and three sales
consultants now working for MyStyle
When it comes to giving something
back, MyStyle Homes and owners
Heather Ghidella and Grant Hartwig
are ahead of the curve.
On top of sponsoring a number of
local sporting teams, MyStyle
Homes participates in Australia’s
Biggest Morning Tea, and
contributes to organisations such as
the Queensland Cancer Council and
the Asthma Foundation. MyStyle is
also a member of the Cairns
Chamber of Commerce, and within
the business leaders group, Heather
is the Cairns ambassador for the
construction industry.
‘I get to use my passion and
industry knowledge to provide
insight and feedback to the
chamber and the wider community,’
she says.
MyStyle Homes also sponsors the
Nate Myles Cup which aims at
getting Cairns and district youth to
play football to get them off the
street. ‘I achieve personal satisfaction
in helping people,’ Heather says. ‘It
means a lot to me; being in a
position to be able to do that.’
Heather is also an active member
of the Cairns Business Women’s
Club. And this year she took home
their major award: 2014 Cairns
Business Woman of the Year.
47
Timber Feature
a triumph of
carpentry
This little Tassie bunkhouse
became an international sensation
and had carpenters lining up to
work on it, as Annie Reid discovers.
48
t’s not every day one of Australia’s
most prominent architects rings you
to build his own home. But that’s
what happened to Scott Cordwell, the
co-director of Tasmania-based building
company, Cordwell Lane.
The call was from John Wardle, the
director of John Wardle Architects; an
internationally renowned, multi-award
winning design architect.
‘This fellow just rang, but I didn’t
quite catch his name,’ Scott recalls.
‘Then the penny dropped and I realised
he carried a bit of weight!’
John was seeking his help to recreate
a little timber bunkhouse, on his 440hectare working sheep farm in Bruny
Island, Tasmania. Positioned just off the
southern coast of Tasmania, the
substantial property enjoys sweeping
views of the surrounding paddocks and
the ocean beyond.
The bunkhouse was to be built directly
on the footprint of a sheep shearer’s
quarters that had once existed on the
site, but had burnt down many years ago.
John’s plan was to use it as a modest
three-bedroom guesthouse, sitting
respectfully alongside the property’s
main homestead, an 1840s captain’s
I
cottage. It was to offer spectacular,
uninterrupted views to the water, feature
a dizzying display of timber carpentry and
respond gently to the site’s history.
The architect’s passion for wood is well
documented. In most of his projects,
timber is his standard go-to, with his own
project no different. As a result, Scott’s
team of 40 carpenters recognised the skill
involved and the chance to be part of a
real labour of love, and clambered over
each other to work on it.
Macrocarpa pine timber … lines
the floors, walls and ceilings of
the new shearer’s quarters
As for Scott, the job began once John
brought three of four loose drawings to
their first meeting, with a request to fully
price up and contract the job.
‘From our experience, I knew that there
would be a lot of interpretation,’ Scott
says. ‘I also knew that this was more of
a novel project about an architect playing
around with his own interests.’
But with Bruny Island only accessible
by a 90-minute ferry, the architect based
HOUSING JULY 2014
in Melbourne, and the site still 2.5 hours
from Hobart, accessibility and logistics
were a major issue. Luckily, Scott was
living on the island at the time, along
with his foreman, which made travelling
to and from the site relatively easy. Still,
much planning and forethought ensued
for even the simplest things – such as a
steady flow of nails – once the project
was underway.
A key component of the build was the
use of Macrocarpa pine timber, which
HOUSING JULY 2014
lines the floors, walls and ceilings of the
new ‘shearer’s quarters’, as the project
has come to be known. John liked the
story of the timber and its connection to
Tasmania: historically, the trees were
commonly planted by local farmers to
shield their livestock from the wind, and
the timber is quite rare. John also
specified the timber so as to
differentiate it from a conventional
home, instead making it resemble a
traditional shearing shed.
‘It’s a horrible, knotty wood,’ Scott
laughs. ‘And it’s hard to come by. But
we managed to source four or five
kilometres of it and mill it into the
boards we needed.’
Overcoming the first hurdle of
finding the timber – from six different
farms and internet sites – the next
challenge was milling the wood into
precise 700mm boards, to create a
mosaic throughout the house.
Furthermore, there was no concrete
49
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Timber Feature
Macrocarpa pine
With architect John Wardle keen to
use products connected to the
Apple Isle for this project, he
specified Macrocarpa pine – grown
widely on farms as a windbreak in
Tasmania and also in parts of
Victoria and New Zealand – for the
floors, walls and ceilings.
Macrocarpa hails from California,
USA, where it’s better known as
Monteray Cypress, although in our
part of the world the tree species is
known as Cupressus macrocarpa.
Nowadays, the timber is
produced from plantations, but its
main source is still mature
windbreaks and as such it is quite
rare. ‘A mature, 100-year-old tree
could have up to a six- or sevenmetre base,’ builder Scott Cordwell
explains.
It is a relatively durable softwood,
typically ‘wonky’, knotty and brittle
with a short spiral grain. It is difficult
to dry and grade accurately, and
AS/NZS 2873:2000 Timber –
Classification into strength groups
does not include a strength group
for it. On a more positive note, it is
sappy and oily with a fair resilience
to water. Its hardiness is its best
attribute, but each piece needs to
be carefully selected to be the
clearest and strongest for use.
slab, but footings for little pads instead,
and timber joists: in another nod to the
traditional shearing shed the building
doesn’t actually touch the ground.
Another of John’s passions is
Tasmania’s mechanised apple industry.
Over the years, he has established a
collection not only of various bits and
HOUSING JULY 2014
bobs of related machinery, but also the
timber apple packing cases used to
house the apples, which were often made
by the local growers.
Using his stash, Scott and his team
made more than 1000 shingles out of the
cases in 490mm lengths to line the first
and second bedrooms. ‘They appear laid
up like fish scales,’ Scott explains.
The laying process of both the
Macrocarpa and the apple cases was
made more complex by the shape of the
house, which is built on a slope with
varying ceiling heights. Every wall is
shorter on one end than at the other, with
a high ceiling in the living area down
to a low ceiling in the third bedroom.
A skillion roof at one end transforms
into a full-blown gable at the other, with
a red brick chimney on the southern
façade which responds to the
neighbouring cottage.
‘It’s a funny shape. Every stud is
a different length and every noggin is a
different angle,’ Scott says. ‘All 7000
boards had to be marked, and we
calculated that every board took nine
minutes to install.’
The project is a triumph of carpentry,
underpinned by a series of architectural
disciplines, namely maximising space
and solar gain, the relationship of the
materials to the site, the relationship of
the building to the past, and maximising
the impressive views to the water.
As a result, the little house received
numerous awards, including The Robin
Boyd Award for Residential Architecture
at the AIA National Architecture Awards
for 2012, which represents Australia’s
most prestigious architecture award. It
has also featured on many television
programs and appeared in magazines
and publications around the world.
‘The whole job was so timbercentric. It really became a joiner’s job
because it was built up of small pieces
over time, with layering and layering,’
Scott explains.
By the end of the job, those first
three or four sketches had become a
collection comprising more than 50
drawings, and Scott and his team knew
they had been involved with a very
special project. ‘It was every carpenter’s
dream,’ Scott says. ‘Our guys were armwrestling to do this job!’
‘All 7000 boards had to be
marked, and every board took
nine minutes to install’
Cordwell Lane is no stranger to highend, bespoke properties with a long
history of working with architects as
their point of difference. Scott and his
business partner, Michael Lane have
meticulously trained their 40 guys, and
have put through 36 apprentices, many
of whom have been employed full-time.
With the project now widely
recognised around the world, Scott is
glad for the attention it’s brought his
business as a result.
‘The media coverage certainly hasn’t
hurt the business,’ he says. ‘Chippies in
Tasmania are ingenious, thrifty and
vigorous, and in the end, it was a good
demonstration of what we could do as
a business.’ H
51
Freecall 1800 088 219 stairlock.com.au
ST002
How do
you like
your
stairs?
Beautifully designed stairs add grace, elegance and become the
architectural highlight of many Australian homes. Now, Stair Lock,
Australia’s biggest stair manufacturer introduce ‘Custom Stairs’,
a new designer range of stairs that can be as individual as you are.
Our beautiful solid timber stairs can be mixed and matched with an
attractive range of balustrades and balusters. You can select from
our wide range of stair designs or have them custom made to your
choice. Stair Lock is waiting to speak with you.
Timber Feature
all things
timber
Photo courtesy MiTek
Timber’s appeal as a building
product stems from its beauty,
strength and versatility. Housing
looks at some applications.
imber is a natural building
material with many advantages.
Not only is it versatile, light, and
easy to install, but it has proved
itself over centuries to be robust and
durable, with high structural qualities.
When considering building with timber,
sourcing, designing, and installation will
all be foremost in your planning. But other
specialist applications, such as stairs and
termite protection for your investment,
can’t be overlooked.
T
Suppliers
When it comes to sourcing timber, you
need to know your supplier is
trustworthy and reliable. Home Timber
& Hardware says it is the store of choice
for tradies, and with more than 280
stores nationally, it’s never been easier to
‘go where the tradies go’.
As a timber specialist, Home Timber &
Hardware stocks a wide selection of wood
products including flooring, softwoods,
LVL/EWP, hardwood, decking and
cladding – all at competitive prices. Stores
meet the demand of local tradies and offer
timber in different lengths and sizes to
provide efficiency and minimise waste.
The trade yards at Home Timber &
Hardware have been designed to provide
easy access for tradies to get in, stock-up,
and get out as quickly as possible. Most
offer undercover drive-through systems
with displays and products on racks
conveniently visible from customers’
vehicles, as well as the flexibility of
direct-to-site delivery.
With a strong emphasis on sustainability
and a commitment to the environment, the
vast majority of timber stocked in Home
Timber & Hardware stores is sourced from
renewable resources. Home Timber &
Hardware also works closely with
suppliers to ensure the business remains
environmentally responsible.
To further support tradies’ supply
needs, specialist trade desks at Home
Timber & Hardware stores can assist with
Photo courtesy Home Timber & Hardware
HOUSING JULY 2014
local trade queries, product sourcing
and quoting.
Structural beams
When looking at installation, strength
and access of timber flooring systems,
it’s hard to imagine a better beam
solution than MiTek’s PosiStruts.
PosiStruts are ideal for today’s
building needs because they offer a wide
range of advantages and ultimately
deliver savings to the architect, engineer
and builder. They’re a truly customised,
totally engineered flooring system that
combines the versatility of timber with
the strength of steel.
PosiStruts have a unique ‘open web’
design which provides excellent access
for services while making them lighter
and quicker to install than solid timber
joists or other alternatives. Plumbing,
electrical, heating and airconditioning/
ducting can all be easily accommodated
by this ingenious open web system,
making difficult access, cutting through
solid timber joists and reducing their
strength a thing of the past. And MiTek
says that no other beam can boast ‘top
chord support’, which means there is no
need to use expensive fixings and
brackets during installation.
PosiStruts can be manufactured in
lengths up to 12 metres, with either
53
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The
Posibilities
are
endless...
More and more architects are specifying MiTek PosiStruts because they deliver the ultimate in
design versatility. PosiStruts are the ideal flooring and roofing solution – especially where height
restrictions apply. They can even be curved to create a dynamic roof line effect. Easy access
for services on-site also means the structural integrity of your design can’t be compromised;
MGB0578-2014-HIA
drilling through solid timber beams isn’t the ideal scenario! MiTek’s PosiStruts are the perfect
engineered solution.
For more information about MiTek PosiStruts or any other MiTek products,
call your local state office or visit: mitek.com.au
VIC (03) 8795 8888
NSW (02) 8525 8000
QLD (07) 3861 2100
SA (08) 8234 1326
WA (08) 9412 3534
New Zealand (09) 274 7109
Timber Feature
Photo courtesy Stair Lock
35mm or 45mm chords, depending on
your load-bearing requirements. They
can span large, open areas with
minimum use of internal supports,
making them the ideal solution for open
plan designs. PosiStruts can also be
specifically designed and engineered for
special projects and tailor-made to
accommodate special support conditions
such as hidden steel beams.
Timber stairs
With the growing popularity of mediumand high-density housing, developers and
builders are recognising the opportunities
to make staircases an architectural
highlight in their projects. Perfectly
placed to meet this trend and at the
forefront of staircase innovation, leading
stair manufacturer Stair Lock has
recently launched a staircase range to
satisfy that growing demand.
Stair Lock has always carried a wide
range of low-cost stairs, including MDF
and American oak. Now, in response to
the builder and consumer markets seeking
a more individual style and greater choice,
it has launched the new, diverse Custom
range of architectural designer stairs.
‘We have been delighted with the
uptake on the new Custom range. In the
first five months of this year we have
comfortably achieved over our budget
estimate, and orders are very strong,’
says Stair Lock’s managing director,
Edward Lloyd. ‘We work with
architects, builders and homeowners to
ensure they have a staircase that is as
individual as they are.’
Stair Lock boasts a competitive price
policy, and a skilled team of stair-makers
with more than 70 years’ combined
experience working in the architectural/
designer stair market. And according to
Stair Lock Custom manager, Marco
Greco, Stair Lock is easily meeting the
new consumer demand for a wider range
of choice. Whether traditional or
contemporary timber stair designs,
combined with steel, wrought iron
and/or glass, or one-off designs – the
company easily caters for all of it.
Termite protection
A downside to timber is that it’s
susceptible to termite and borer damage.
And a new home is a large investment for
both builders and clients alike so it’s
natural to want to protect it from that risk.
According to Carter Holt Harvey
(CHH) LASERframe TERMINATOR is
a termite-treated framing solution
providing long-term protection against
structural termite damage. The up-front
BLUE Framing - Proven Performance
LASERframe TERMINATOR Blue uses Determite preservation technology successfully
used in Australia for nearly 10 years. Ongoing testing and proven performance in
Australian houses equals peace of mind protection from one of Australia’s largest wood
product producers.
D LASERframe TERMINATOR Blue is treated for protection from termites for up to 25
years* AND has been specifically tested and approved** against European House
Borer (EHB). Determite preservative is highly repellent to termites and has been
used and proven effective in Australian homes below the Tropic of Capricorn.
D LASERframe TERMINATOR Blue is produced by an innovative quality controlled
factory process to ensure correct coverage of timber framing products in
compliance with Australian Standards and building regulatory requirements
D LASERframe TERMINATOR Blue framing is backed by Osmose, one of the world’s
largest supplier of timber preservative treatment products and covered by a limited
guarantee* against termites and EHB for 25 years.
For product support visit chhwoodproducts.com.au/laserframeterminatorblue
* The guarantee is provided by the chemical supplier for the benefit of the property owner. It is a limited and
conditional guarantee covering the provision of replacement product used in Australia. The full terms and
conditions are available at www.chhwoodproducts.com.au/guarantees. See guarantee for details.
** Approved by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority Osmose® and DeterMite® are
trademarks of Osmose, Inc. or its subsidiaries. DeterMite treated timber products are produced by
independently owned and operated wood preserving facilities. © 2014 Osmose, Inc.
The natural solution for you.
T2
Blue
Builders love it- Termites hate it.
The numbers speak for themselves:
Over 200 000 house frames constructed using Hyne T2 Blue – Zero cases of termite damage.
Is your timber supplier giving you Hyne T2 Blue?
E [email protected]
P 1300 30 4963
W www.hyne.com.au
Photo courtesy Hyne Timber
Timber Feature
cost of using TERMINATOR is only a
fraction of the price you’ll pay if termite
damage occurs, especially when
insurance often won’t protect you.
LASERframe TERMINATOR doesn’t
require ongoing application of top-up
chemicals or completion of an annual
inspection to maintain your warranty,
adds CHH. It also conforms to the
Building Code of Australia and Australian
Standard 1604.1, and treatments do not
affect material properties of the timber,
meaning you can upgrade to
TERMINATOR without the cost and
hassle of re-submitting plans.
TERMINATOR is suitable for internal
wall frames, roof trusses and any other
internal load bearing application where
Photo courtesy Carter Holt Harvey
HOUSING JULY 2014
termite protection is required, but should
not be used outdoors or in contact
with the ground.
It is backed by a transferable 25-year
chemical supplier guarantee* so you
can be confident that your house frame
is protected. CHH says TERMINATOR
has been rigorously tested by
independent research bodies to ensure
that it is suitable for use in Australian
conditions, and is available in two
different types of treatments.
TERMINATOR Blue is the ideal choice
for the majority of the population, but
in Australia’s far north (above the
Tropic of Capricorn) a higher level of
protection is required against the
Mastotermes Darwiniensis termite
species, and CHH recommends
TERMINATOR Red for this region.
Another company offering guaranteed
protection against termites is Hyne
Timber. As Australia’s largest privatelyowned timber producer, Hyne Timber’s
state-of-the-art mills allows them to
manufacture a diverse range of timber
products for the building and
construction industry. In operation since
1882, Hyne has continued its product
innovation to meet the demands of
today’s building environment.
Hyne’s T2 Blue is a treated structural
pine framing for use south of the Tropic
of Capricorn. With a 25-year guarantee
against termite damage, it brings a lowcost peace of mind to homeowners when
buying a new home. With more than
200,000 homes built so far with zero
reported termite damage, Hyne says it is
testament to the quality and popularity
of the product among some of
Australia’s biggest home builders.
Hyne T2 Blue is manufactured in
Australia using plantation pine also grown
in Australia, meaning that this renewable
product is both good for the environment
as well as the local economy.
The H2F treatment is an envelope
treatment that repels termites using the
same chemicals as found in flea collars
and other insect repellants. Hyne says it is
non-toxic to mammals and can be cut,
notched and disposed in normal landfill.
There is no need to seal or coat cut ends as
the treatment acts as a repellant and will
deter termites from going near the product.
Builders choose Hyne T2 Blue for
its guaranteed quality and the low-cost
guaranteed protection against one of
Australia’s most damaging pests.
According to Hyne, the CSIRO has
found that termites don’t just attack
timber houses, but steel and masonry
homes are just as likely to be targeted
(Cookson, 1999). And while termites are
a serious threat to the home, normal
household insurance does not cover
damage caused by termite infestation.
* The guarantee is provided by the chemical supplier
for the benefit of the property owner. It is a limited
and conditional guarantee covering the provision of
replacement product used in Australia. The full terms
and conditions are available at
www.chhwoodproducts.com.au/guarantees
Software solutions
Software plays a huge part in all
design and construction in the 21st
century, including timber. And these
days many buildings are designed with
components pre-built before being
delivered, but there will always be
exceptions when timber frames need to
be constructed on site.
This is where Cadbuild’s SoftPlan
software package steps in. Providing a
simple method to generate wall frame
diagrams, SoftPlan saves valuable time
on site by calculating measurements and
required materials.
Wall panel diagrams are generated
from the floor plan. Studs can be added,
moved or deleted where necessary and
different junction styles applied. These
changes are instantly updated in the 2D
and 3D views, which are an invaluable
training tool for apprentices and as an
on-site reference.
SoftPlan also produces automatic
floor, ceiling and truss layout diagrams,
3D images and material lists.
The labelled layouts correspond with the
automatically produced material schedules
57
Timber Feature
Image courtesy Cadbuild
applied to components. These profiles
(cross sectional shapes) are displayed in
3D images and can be referred to in the
material listing calculations.
Contact Cadbuild for a free trial
DVD pack. H
for the floor, ceiling, roof, decking,
landing and cabinet components.
A complete material list is produced,
including timber items from framing
and beams, to doors, skirting and
architrave members. So, as you create a
detailed list, a cost estimate is also
being assembled.
SoftPlan comes pre-loaded with about
60 walls and more than 100 beams, and
customised material can also be created.
Wall and beam definitions are provided
for complete control over design, such as
stud spacing, size and plate position.
To add accurate shapes to items such
as cladding and beams, profiles can be
For more information:
Cadbuild – call 02 4657 1874
or visit www.cadbuild.com.au
Carter Holt Harvey Woodproducts
Australia – visit
www.chhwoodproducts.com.au/
laserframeterminatorblue
Home Timber & Hardware –
call 1300 131 843 or visit
www.homehardware.com.au
Hyne Timber – call 1300 304 963
or visit www.hyne.com.au
MiTek – visit www.mitek.com.au
Stair Lock – call 1800 088 219
or visit www.stairlock.com.au
GO WHERE THE TRADIES GO
TO GET TOP QUALITY TOOLS,
TIMBER AND MATERIALS.
Go where you know you’re going to get what you need, in stock when you need it.
Go to Home Timber & Hardware, the Hardware Store of the Year, two years in a row.
homehardware.com.au
HARDWARE STORE OF THE YEAR, AGAIN.
Hardware Store of the Year, Roy Morgan Customer Awards, judged by 50,000 consumers, Australia-wide.
A grate selection,
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superb range of Australian made drainage systems.
For our full range, visit our website or call for more details.
Web stormtech.com.au
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v
initiati e
e 2014 HIA GreenSmart Awards recognise HIA members who are doing their bit for the
environment. If you build or design environmentally-friendly homes, find solutions to water efficiency
or create new products for the building industry, you could gain recognition for your efforts.
Contact HIA to receive your Awards information pack
greensmart.com.au/awards ‚ [email protected] ‚ 1800 069 804
What’s New in K&B
K&B
what’s new
vintage style
functional art
The Motif basin range brings functionality to
art, introducing pattern into the bathroom with
distinctive hand-etched designs.
Manufactured by Omvivo and distributed by
bathroomware retailers Candana Designs, the
Motif basin range is the result of experiments
with materials, pattern and light, and fuses
together solid surface and glass to create a
functional piece of art in the bathroom.
Manufactured in Australia, every Motif basin
starts with a piece of hand-etched glass, which
is formed in a kiln. A polished chrome pop-up
plug and matching spacer is added and the
basin floats above the benchtop, creating
reflections on its surroundings.
Available in three patterns – Pebble, Forest and
Kaleidoscope – the basin is ideal for both
contemporary and traditional bathrooms.
For more information call 02 9389 8631
or visit www.candana.com.au
Smeg’s Victoria upright freestanding cooker melds the beautiful
aesthetics of the 1920s iconic wood-fuelled stove with the latest in
culinary technology.
Comprising two electric ovens, separate grill, seven gas burners,
teppanyaki plate and generous storage drawer, – all with a gloss black or
panna enamel exterior – the cooker suits both inner-city contemporary
homes as well as country-style dwellings.
Smeg has completed the
ensemble with a highly efficient
110cm-wide rangehood, in two
distinct designs. One is a
traditional chimney hood style
and the other a more linear,
squared design, both of which
have a high performance motor,
four speeds, electronic controls
and two 20-watt halogen lights.
The Victoria upright cooker
plus the Victoria KSE110 and
KT110 rangehoods are available
nationally from specialist
appliance retailers and some
department stores.
For more information
visit www.smeg.com.au
handy app
Caroma has released the latest version of its Plumbers’ Handbook App.
The practical and portable product technical guide now includes additional
brands, including Caroma, Caroma Marc Newson, Fowler, Dorf and Stylus.
The app has a number of new features which help to simplify the installation
and specification process, while also providing easy-to-read product
information, including images, features, codes and extra technical drawings.
An advanced, multi-field search function also makes navigating products
easy, with users now able to search by size, style, location, trap type or
set-out dimensions.
The app features a series of videos demonstrating the installation process
for a range of products and also includes a valuable calculator which easily
converts units of measurement, including length, mass, volume and area.
The app is free to download from the iTunes Store or Google Play, or by
visiting Caroma’s website.
For more information visit www.caroma.com.au
HOUSING JULY 2014
61
K&B Trends
all roads lead
Multi-award winning K&B designer
Angela Gianakis attended this
year’s EuroCucina and could barely
contain her excitement about the
cutting-edge displays.
‘
to Rho
uroCucina is one of Europe’s
most anticipated kitchen and
bathroom exhibitions and is held
every second year at the Milan
Fairgrounds in Rho, Italy.
Part of the broader context of Milan’s
Salone de Mobile exhibition,
EuroCucina showcases the very latest in
high quality, stylish and well-made
kitchens and bathrooms from Italian and
foreign manufacturers and designers,
and attracts kitchen and bathroom
professionals from around the globe.
I was one of the thousands of these to
arrive in Milan – off to see what is
arguably the most prestigious and
monitored fair in the world. All train
stations had signs detailing how to get
to Rho: clearly the organisers were
prepared for a great volume of traffic.
And there was a sea of people all
pushing to get onto the trains, standing
room only once on board, and one
arriving every five minutes.
E
On arrival at Rho, we stepped onto
fast-moving travelators – whose true
worth was clearly evident by the end
of the day – which deposited us at a
huge entrance leading to 24 halls. With
the four main halls for Bagno and
EuroCucina right at the end, it took at
least 15 minutes of brisk walking just
to get there.
‘EuroCucina, Salon Internazionale
del Bagno is an amalgamation of
design, luxury, and craftsmanship’
So, what were the trends?
Overwhelmingly, they were colour
(teal), texture, integration, and a move
away from minimalism. Rangehoods,
cooktops, ovens, espresso machines
and even wine fridges all displayed
this new approach.
Colour and texture
Teal was used as a highlight detail
everywhere. Even Versace, known for
his use of gold, partnered it with teal.
The first kitchen I saw was teal, timber
and off-white. A splash of colour was
used in kitchens and in bathrooms,
beautifully complemented through the
clever use of whites and timber. Kitchens
oozed warmth and invitation, yet cleverly
melded simplicity and function.
62
HOUSING JULY 2014
About EuroCucina
Seamless and integrated
Whether sinks, cooktops (below), ovens,
wine fridges, freezers, refrigerators,
rangehoods; everything about the future
in design said ‘integration’. Sinks were
integrated in stainless steel or stone,
appliances were seamless, and the look
was clean and effortless. Benchtops were
slim, and off-set with thicker, adjoining
feature benchtops, creating various levels
of interest within the area.
Appliances
The trend to colour extended to
appliances. For instance, appliances by
Miele came in a range of colours,
including Obsidian Black, Havana
Brown (to be released in Australia as
‘Mink’) and Brilliant White. The series
of appliances test the limits of creativity
and allow designers to take a more
innovative approach to incorporating
colours within their designs.
‘Overwhelmingly, [the trends] were
colour (teal), texture, integration,
and a move away from minimalism’
Rangehoods
Industrial, modern, traditional, glitzy
(and yes, there was a rangehood
encrusted with crystals), the standout
trend for rangehoods was as a feature
(p.62). They were concealed within
joinery, stainless steel, as a light-fitting,
integrated, and flaunted. And for ‘best in
HOUSING JULY 2014
Created in 1974, Milan’s
EuroCucina – the International
Kitchen Furniture Exhibition – runs
concurrently with the International
Bathroom Exhibition as part of the
Salone del Mobile, a global platform
for all the latest in home furnishing
and design.
Held every second year at the
Milan Fairgrounds in Rho, Italy,
EuroCucina is a Mecca for kitchen
and bathroom professionals from
around the world, who visit the
exhibition in their thousands to see
the latest in design trends from top
Italian and international
manufacturers. Exhibitors from
countries other than Italy make up
30 per cent of the total.
EuroCucina 2014 boasted around
130 exhibitors, occupied six
pavilions and more than 24,000
square metres, attracted more than
311,000 professional visitors, and
was completely sold out.
It is supplemented by FTK –
Technology for the Kitchen, which is
a showcase for the built-in
appliance sector, cookers and other
various products, prototypes and
ideas for the kitchen of the future.
The next EuroCucina will be held
in April 2016. For cutting-edge,
innovation and high-end products,
it seems you just can’t go past it.
63
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K&B Trends
materials oozed excellence and
sustainability. The attention to detail set
an enviable standard in design. With
superb timber detailing and finishing in
drawers, and shadow-lines in bold
colours, the completed products
showed evidence of the attention to
detail embraced through the entire
design process.
‘Whether in the kitchen or the
bathroom, metallics appeared in
show’ it was hard to go past the
architectural styling of Neff’s AirDeluxe
rangehood, whether integrated into a
benchtop or on the wall.
Industrial chic
Arguably the best interpretation of
industrial chic in the kitchen was by
Ernestomeda. While the industrial look
continues to take the world by storm, the
trend here was carefully and skilfully
incorporated in the design, making it
inviting yet powerful and robust (p.63).
Materials
Laminate, timber, and two-pack were
the overwhelming trends in materials.
There was no PVC in sight and no
‘metallic’ unless it was really metal. All
HOUSING JULY 2014
gold, rose gold or polished platinum’
One kitchen in particular exemplified
innovation and cutting-edge: At one
point I arranged to meet my husband at
a particular kitchen I’d walked past, only
to find it wasn’t ‘there’ later as it had
changed colour, using a magnetic
texture over a white kitchen. The entire
kitchen was covered with this material,
similar to that of a soft fridge magnet.
Metallics
Whether in the kitchen or the bathroom,
metallics appeared in gold, rose gold or
polished platinum. These were the only
metallic colours that were displayed
with passion throughout the fair. If it
wasn’t metallic, it was a natural material.
Bathrooms
Bathrooms showcased the perfect
combination of fluid, sculpture-like
forms. Evident was a feeling of
dedication to the care of the body.
All features focused on creating
ambience and comfort amid busy
lifestyles. Forms were appeasing,
reassuring and elegant; with every
faucet, piece of furniture, water-holding
vessel, and lighting all embracing the
wellbeing of body, spirit and mind.
Soft forms maintained focus in creating
welcoming and luxurious environments.
The use of natural materials elsewhere in
the exhibition extended to the bathroom.
Copper and metallics made a substantial
appearance with copper, rose gold, gold
and silver used abundantly across all
bathroom products.
Freestanding baths
There were freestanding baths aplenty,
in particular an amazing, glass mosaic
freestanding bath in the shape of a
stiletto shoe (p.67), with spout and
plumbing all built in. Perfect for shoe
fetishists or Cinderellas everywhere,
complete with a princely price-tag!
Freestanding Kaldewei baths
featured seamless enamelled panelling
with flawless perfection and precision
in craftsmanship.
65
caroma.com.au
More inspiration from Caroma…
Australian bathroomware brand Caroma continues to inspire with the new
Urbane collection. Designed with functionality and form in mind, Urbane
combines contemporary Australian style with trusted Caroma quality.
The collection features toilet suites, basins and a back-to-wall bath,
offering complete harmony and perfect in any home.
K&B Trends
Lighting
In bathrooms and kitchens, all lighting –
whether concealed within the rangehood,
feature pendants, or LED – was
strategically positioned depending on the
desired impact. Mood, feature and task
lighting were all featured throughout the
show. In one case, as seen above, laser
lighting within the kitchen was also used
to create an impact on the joinery
cupboards. The style of lighting was
carefully selected to enhance the overall
appeal and style of the kitchen.
Storage
Storage solutions were also at the
forefront of design and displayed the
intricate attention to detail that was
evident throughout the show.
HOUSING JULY 2014
After seven solid hours of walking
and more than 2500 photos, a glass
of sparkling Ca’del Bosco was gratefully
and thoroughly enjoyed at the end of
every day, and provided enough energy
to my legs for the walk back to the train.
EuroCucina, Salon Internazionale del
Bagno is an amalgamation of design,
luxury, and craftsmanship, all melded
with fearless strength.
I’ll be back!
’
Angela Gianakis is director of Outside
Square in Adelaide, South Australia.
T: 08 8363 5363 or email
[email protected] H
67
68
HOUSING JULY 2014
rock-solid
Framed by beach vistas and a
sandstone cliff, this ensuite
bathroom defies design convention.
Gabrielle Chariton reports.
arren Genner and Simona
Castagna – the visionaries
behind Sydney interior design
powerhouse Minosa – won the
2014 Australian Bathroom Design of the
Year for a visually intriguing and
luxuriously appointed ensuite bathroom.
The finished project, thanks to their
innovative response to the tricky brief,
asserts a studied balance between
contemporary styling and the majesty of
the home’s cliff-side location.
The bathroom, incorporated within a
master bedroom in a luxury new home
at Dover Heights in Sydney’s east, is
framed by views of Bondi Beach at one
end, and a towering sandstone cliff-face
that the home was built against at the
other. Darren’s mission was to create a
resort-style ensuite retreat, something
that ‘defied convention’ and ‘brought
both the water views and the cliff into
the space’.
‘The brief was inspiring, but difficult at
the same time,’ Darren says. ‘We had this
real juxtaposition, you’ve got the beach at
one end, and then you’ve got this really
hard rock element at the other end.’
In order to maximise the impact of
both elements, Darren and Simona’s
first move was to re-configure the
existing architectural plans for the room
and remove all interior dividing walls.
‘The first day we climbed down the
scaffold, we just went “wow”,’ he says,
referring to the visual impact of the
cliff-face. ‘The builder marked out some
[parameters] for us so we knew what we
were dealing with and then we worked
around that. We basically made it one
big space which we divided with open
visual barriers rather than fixed walls.’
A 7.2-metre built-in wardrobe, fitted
with large pop-and-slide doors finished
D
HOUSING JULY 2014
design
in birch veneer, encompasses the length
of the western wall. Two floor-to-ceiling
mirror-clad blade walls delineate the
bedroom and bathroom areas. A feat of
design trickery, the lower part of the
walls conceal plumbing and the upper
half is ingeniously fitted with hidden
pull-out storage.
The Corian-clad custom Minosa
washbasin wraps around these walls
and, thanks to invisible joins, actually
appears to dissect through the mirrors.
The effect is intriguing and makes the
vanity a stand-out feature of the
bathroom in itself.
The shower, toilet and bidet are set off
to the side behind the blade walls, with a
freestanding stone bathtub placed
centrally within the bathing space, its
silky honed surface providing the perfect
foil to the rough-hewn wildness of the
rock wall behind it. Glass bifold doors
form one wall of the shower recess and
extend right across the rear of the room,
creating a true indoor-outdoor bathing
zone during the warmer months.
Darren considers this skilful interplay
between privacy and openness to be the
room’s best feature: ‘I think the way that
the space functions for two professional
people is really my favourite part.
Because you can transition through the
space and it flows seamlessly. You’re
connected with every element, except for
the toilet which has an opaque glass door
that closes it off. It’s interactive and open
but then private when you need [it to be].’
The bathroom is framed by views
of Bondi Beach at one end, and a
towering sandstone cliff-face
The understated yet lavish finishes
used throughout the room – large-format
basalt floor tiles, sand-coloured timber
veneer on the cabinetry and Corian
cladding on the walls – allow the views
and cliff-face, which ricochet around the
space thanks to the clever placement of
mirrors, to take centre-stage.
Bisazza mosaic tiles in black crocodile
skin – used in the toilet recess and ‘on
the structural piers to try and make them
go away and give them a decorative type
69
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The art of bathing
Simona Castagna and Darren
Genner started Sydney design firm
Minosa 13 years ago. ‘We set out
to create a luxury bathing brand,’
says Darren. ‘Simona and I both
have a kitchen background but …
we wanted to create a brand that
was focused heavily on the luxury
side of bathrooms.’
It was a professional match made
in heaven, with Darren’s
manufacturing experience and
Simona’s design background giving
them a complete understanding of
the constraints of the design
process: what’s buildable and
what’s not. ‘That really stabilises
and underpins what we’re doing,’
Darren says.
The company has forged a name
for themselves within the luxury
interior design market. ‘We’ll continue
to push the envelope of fixed spaces
like kitchens and bathrooms and
keep delivering high quality, highly
functional interior spaces.’
Minosa has also launched a
brand called The Art of Bathing by
Minosa, a concept created to meet
growing consumer demand for high
quality, contemporary products
centred around luxury bathing.
HOUSING JULY 2014
element’ – add texture to the neutral
palette without competing with the
grandeur of the rock-face. ‘[The mosaic]
is an incredibly difficult thing to lay like
that, and the results are just really subtle
and quite beautiful,’ Darren says.
The lighting design – which was just
as carefully considered as any other
element in the room – picks out the
intricacy of the mosaics. The rock-face,
too, is uplit and downlit, creating an
other-worldly ambience. ‘We’ve got a
really layered lighting plan in there. It’s
controlled with C-Bus; you can make
certain things come on and certain
things go off. It’s very dynamic.’ Rather
than traditional overhead lighting, the
primary light source for the room is a
7.2m long LED diffused light running
the full length of the wardrobe.
While the design triumph of this room
is the seamless integration and synergy
between the contemporary interiors and
the surrounding environment, there’s
only so much of the great outdoors you
actually want to admit into a luxury
bathroom. The primary problem in this
instance was water seepage. ‘There was
always going to be seepage through the
rock, that’s uncontrollable because it’s
sandstone and we couldn’t put any kind
of sealant on to prevent that,’ Darren
explains. ‘The water plane was treated
at the top [of the cliff] so it was
controlled as much as they could
through the building process. So the
natural seepage and stuff, we just let
that be. It is what it is, and it’s nature.
We can’t over-control that.’
The rock-face was sandblasted and
cleaned, and Darren paid particular
attention to ensuring the room was
well ventilated. ‘We chose a system
with an exterior-mounted motor that
draws the air out rather than using
something that is blowing into the
space. That way, the noise is on the
outside rather than the inside.’
From the initial design proposal to the
quality of the fit-out, nothing in this
bathroom was left to chance. The HIA
judges described the project as ‘striking’
and praised the level of innovation and
attention to detail. ‘This is a shining
light for Australian design,’ one
commented. ‘It is encouraging to see
designers, trades and builders take on
such a challenge and be able to meet the
design brief and exceed all expectations.
This bathroom encapsulates everything
that is luxury.’
Darren says he and Simona were
thrilled to win the award. ‘It’s always
good to receive recognition for our hard
work. It helps consolidate what we’re
doing, the clients see it and for them, it
makes them feel good about their
decision to utilise our services.’ H
Below: (L–R) Kevin Wardle from bathroom design
award partner GWA Bathrooms and Kitchens,
with Simona Castagna and Darren Genner.
71
luxury
A tropical fishtank and marble
benchtops are just two of the
dramatic elements of this stunning
kitchen. Annie Reid reports.
A clever floor plan
The floor plan of this winning
kitchen is particularly clever. It
ensures the eye is always drawn
towards the fish tank, but creates
separate zones for different
functions depending on use. For
example, the opening to the formal
dining area is strategically
positioned near the walk-in pantry.
When entertaining, guests cannot
see into the kitchen because
everything is integrated or hidden,
and therefore all mess is concealed
from sight.
This balances the more
extroverted kitchen elements, such
as the fish tank, but also the Miele
coffee machine, steamer,
microwave and induction stove top,
with a sleek, seamless finish.
72
on show
elbourne builder AG
Constructions has won
kitchen of the year in the
HIA–CSR 2014 Australian
Housing Awards after entering the
awards program for the very first time.
‘We brought the owners of the home
to the awards to thank them for the
opportunity, but we just went for the
experience. We never expected to win!’
laughs Alex Godler, director and project
manager of the Melbourne-based
building business founded by his
parents in 1995.
But win emphatically it did, inspiring
judges’ comments such as, ‘The kitchen
has immediate wow factor’; ‘Timeless
appeal that will not date in a hurry’; and
‘This kitchen would be a dream to cook
and entertain in’. Not a bad result for a
first-time effort.
The award-winning project is a brand
new, three-storey contemporary home in
Caulfield North, in Melbourne’s leafy
southeast. Built for a family with two
children, the brief for the build was for
the home to be functional, luxurious and
low maintenance, to be enjoyed over the
next 15-plus years.
M
The same philosophy extended to the
kitchen, where Alex and his team were
engaged to create an effortless, modern
and multi-functional kitchen. But then
the owner suggested an unconventional
‘living’ splashback – in the form of a
tropical, self-maintaining fish tank.
‘The design was initially for a window
as the splashback,’ Alex says. ‘But then
the owner suggested a fish tank, so we
decided to run with it.’
Commandingly located at the end of
the central hallway of the home, the
tropical tank is visible from the front
entry lobby. This creates a dramatic focal
point as you enter, but also a feeling of
‘living beyond’, where the kitchen and
lounge room area is located.
Making this creative design come alive
was one of the more challenging
elements of the project. The main issues
were how to support the weight of the
tank filled with water, and the cabinet
structure floating above the tank.
The solution was to build an
engineered steel structure above and
below the two-tonne tank. This created
the precise weight combination to
take the load, and was concealed so
the structure appears to be invisible.
‘Therefore, the top section is
suspended off the floor system above,’
Alex explains. Using columns was not an
option as it would compromise the wraparound feel and add too much bulk.
The kitchen’s two intersecting
Calacatta marble benches also appear
effortless, but are hard at work in the
background, capturing the current
trend for split-level serving and eating
areas. The first, an L-shaped breakfast
bar element, cantilevers across and
underneath a second marble element,
giving the appearance of a large
floating slab.
‘Cantilevering the long piece of marble
without support would crack it down the
middle, so the L-shaped element is
actually a steel grid structure wrapped in
marble,’ Alex explains. The marble’s soft,
natural quality demanded extra careful
handling, and a glazed mirror finish was
HOUSING JULY 2014
poured over the top to protect it against
damage and staining.
‘Each slab of marble is a unique
artwork on its own,’ Alex says. ‘And it
works well with the 800 square metres of
marble tiles used throughout the house.’
The second marble bench floats
underneath the higher breakfast bar, and
flows outside into a barbeque alfresco
zone, providing a continuous,
uninterrupted line of sight. The judges
commended the flow of the bench to the
external kitchen, which also serves to
bring the outside in.
Other high-end finishes include a fully
integrated Liebherr fridge, Miele
appliances comprising an induction hot
plate, microwave, steamer and coffee
machine. There are some other clever
touches too, such as an electronic dumb
waiter from the garage into the walk-in
pantry, and a Zip tap for instant chilled
and boiling water.
The next challenge was the bulkhead.
Measuring three metres, it needed to
accommodate essential services, such as
the airconditioning and heating ducts,
which couldn’t be run through the floor
system above.
But it also needed to balance the lightcoloured marble benches and cabinetry,
and complement the fish tank. ‘As a
result, we had to drop the ceiling to hold
the Daikin airconditioning system, with
a wrap-around grill that is somewhat
shielded by the bulkhead below it,’
Alex explains.
The bulkhead also accommodates
the lighting system, comprising three
feature drop pendants. The architect
opted for a dark colour palette, which
Kitchen specs
served to conceal its size, but also
provide a sleek harmony for the neutral
benches and cabinetry.
‘It all just took a lot of thought and
consideration,’ Alex says. ‘Behind every
element is a structure that needed to be
created and concealed, but with the
coordination of the architect and
subcontractors it all came together.’
Furthermore, the house is completely
automated, with a backup generator
enabling it to run off the grid in the
event of a power outage.
The whole process was a series of
firsts for Alex and his team. It was the
first time he had created a ‘living’
splashback, and the first time a project
required so many non-standard and
highly customised elements. Even more
impressively, it was the very first time
he had ever entered an award program.
‘We’ve been HIA members for
almost 15 years now, but we’ve never
entered. Since winning, we’ve received
a lot of congratulations, but it’s still
business as usual.’
Alex hopes that the win will allow
him to continue growing the business his
parents started, and provide it with some
extra credibility. ‘Our hope is that people
Left: (L–R) From AG Constructions, Alex
Godler, Zhanna Fenster and Igor Fenster.
HOUSING JULY 2014
Floor covering: cream marble tiles,
20mm thick, 600x600mm, imported
from Turkey
Cabinetry: painted two-pack gloss
Hardware: Hettich
Benchtop: Calacatta marble
Appliances: Miele oven, induction
hot plate, microwave, steamer and
coffee machine
Fridge: integrated Liebherr
Dumb waiter: imported from
Germany
Fittings: Zip tap.
The dream team
Builder: AG Constructions
Architect: Patrick Gheorghiu
Cabinetmaker: Sana Interiors.
will now recognise us as experienced
builders who are committed to producing
excellence and award-winning projects
that will benefit the community,’ he says.
Going by the feedback from scores of
other HIA award winners, it looks like
a certainty.
While Alex’s favourite aspect is the fish
tank, he’s had no takers just yet to recreate
the unique concept. But he is proud to
have created something beautiful that his
clients will cherish.
‘I really enjoy the personal relationship
you have with the project as you are
building it. It’s a unique concept that we
bring to life.’ H
73
Our Continuous Flow range
has more stars than Hollywood.
Australia’s broadest 6 Star range comes with no less than 8 models. Which means when it comes to
hot water efficiency, we’ve more stars than Hollywood.
• The first 6 Star Continuous Flow range
• 12, 16, 18, 20, 24 and 27L/minute capacities
• All 50OC models now temperature adjustable
THE MORE
STARS, THE MORE
ENERGY EFFICIENT
GAS
ENERGY RATING
USE THIS LABEL TO COMPARE
DIFFERENT MODEL WATER HEATERS
• Display monitor for easy servicing
COMPARATIVE ENERGY CONSUMPTION
18674
MJ
PER
YEAR
WHEN TESTED TO AS 4552
• Rheem quality and national support
ACTUAL ENERGY USED WILL DEPEND ON WHERE
YOU LIVE AND HOW THE APPLIANCE IS USED
APPLIANCE RUNNING COST INFORMATION IS
AVAILABLE FROM YOUR LOCAL GAS SUPPLIER
For more information, visit rheem.com.au/products/continuousflow
COMES ON STEADY, HOT AND STRONG
INSTALL A
AUSTRALIA’S NO. 1
ADVERTORIAL
more greater
stars
capacities
Rheem’s continuous flow range
continues to offer top star rating
options for builders and renovators
around the country.
s a leading Australian hot water
brand, Rheem continues to offer a
broad range of six-star and better
continuous-flow gas water-heater
options. And as a continuous-flow water
heating range that delivers high energy
efficiency while reducing greenhouse gas
emissions, there’s something to suit every
home builder or renovator interested in
performance and efficiency.
Rheem has expanded its six-star
continuous-flow range to now encompass
models with capacities from 12L/minute
(suitable for a small one-bathroom unit)
up to 27L/minute (enough for a threebathroom home). And with Rheem’s
EZ Link system, two units can be joined
to operate as one, lifting the maximum
capacity available to up to 54L/minute –
enough for the largest home.
‘This is a solid demonstration of how
water heating is evolving in Australia, and
combining both performance and very
A
Exclusive features
Features of the six-star range that
are exclusive to Rheem are:
• Flamesafe®– overheat protection,
which automatically shuts down
your heater should it overheat
• Rheem EZ Link® – delivers up to
54L/minute by a link to Rheem
units to act as one, thereby
doubling capacity
• Rheem Q Factor™ – ensures
rapid hot water every time,
without the fluctuation when
multiple taps demand hot water.
HOUSING JULY 2014
high levels of efficiency,’ says John
Wilkins, Rheem’s group product manager.
‘As highlighted by the Energy
Networks Association (ENA) at the Gas
2020: New Strategies New Markets
conference, gas water heaters can play a
bigger role in assisting the abatement of
Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions, as
they’re more efficient than electric
resistance water heaters and have lower
upfront costs to households than solar.
And Rheem is rising to the challenge.
‘Rheem was first to launch a broad 6+
Star continuous-flow range in Australia,’
John explains. Available for natural gas
and propane, the range includes models
that deliver 12L, 16L, 18L, 20L, 24L
and 27L/minute flow rates, depending on
householders’ hot water needs. They are
also ideal for more compact homes or
apartments, or where space is at a
premium, because they’re mounted to
the wall and take up less space.
The benefits of the range include:
• greater energy efficiency – get more
hot water out of less energy
• cost-savings – lower up-front costs
than solar, and savings on energy bills
• reduced emissions – reduced impact
upon the environment
• compact design – easy to install into
space-poor residences.
The 6+ Star range was designed in
response to increasing consumer
demand for products that deliver
continuous-flow hot water without the
high energy usage and cost.
‘Increasing demand for higher
efficiency water heaters is why we
moved to the 6+ Star continuous-flow
water heater range,’ John explains.
‘These heaters deliver improved energy
efficiency to reduce carbon emissions
and running costs – good for the hip
pocket and the environment.’
The range also includes what Rheem
claims is Australia’s most energyefficient continuous-flow water heater –
the Rheem 24/7 Star, the equivalent of
seven stars – and large enough for a
family home.
As a rule of thumb, Rheem says the
‘average’ home can reduce its gas
consumption by approximately 2000MJ –
or around $30–$40 per year – for every
one-star increase in efficiency,
depending on which state the home is in
and what tariff the householder is on.
Rheem’s remote temperature
controllers can also provide both
convenience and peace of mind, by
restricting the hot water temperature
particularly when bathing children.
For more information visit
www.rheem.com.au H
75
HardieWrapTM weather barrier is designed to be used in wall and
gable applications behind James Hardie®, Scyon™ and other*
cladding products to help protect your building.
OPNOS`IYLH[OHISLUVUWLYMVYH[LKYLÃLJ[P]LZHMLNSHYL
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For more information about performance, installation, warranties, warnings and image gallery, or visit jameshardie.com.au
© 2014 James Hardie Australia Pty Ltd ABN 12 084 635 558. ™ and ® denote a trademark owned by James Hardie Technology Limited.
* Specifier is responsible for confirming the suitability of HardieWrap™ weather barrier in the specific design and climate zone with the selected external
cladding product. Refer to cladding manufacturer for more information.
New Materials Feature
new
materials
Photo: Ian Wallace Photography
Solar solutions
Clever design
IA–CSR award-winning home Rumney Rest in
Tasmania’s southwest is an outstanding example of
how a home can blend beautifully into its
environment. Building designer, Mike Cleaver of Clever
Design, has employed Gyprock products in an innovative
way to seamlessly merge the exterior environment with
the internal living areas, with considered design and
perfect workmanship.
This truly unique pavilion-style home – positioned on an
extraordinarily steep site, 320 metres above sea level with
sweeping landscape and water views – exists harmoniously
with the local wedged-tail eagle population. Sustainability
was the key to the project and impacted significantly on the
selection of materials.
The stand-out features inside the home include curved
ceilings and a remarkable curved, red feature wall. To
create the curved ceiling, Mike selected conventional
10mm Gyprock Standard Plasterboard with a recessed
edge, and this was employed over a large radius.
While the convex ceilings have a feel of the greater
outside environment, it is the red curved wall that demands
attention without being too overwhelming. To achieve this,
Gyprock Flexible Plasterboard was installed in two layers,
allowing the board to move into a tight radius.
Lightweight-constructed walls were fixed with
Gyprock Superchek 10mm premium plasterboard, owing
to its dense core and heavy-duty facing. ‘The green
credentials of the recycled formula of the board were also
a deciding factor. Gyprock Superchek allows for a
smooth, even and environmentally conscious surface
across all walls,’ Mike says.
The residential home has won multiple awards, including
the prestigious HIA–CSR Australian Home of the Year
2013, recognising Australia’s finest workmanship in
residential home building.
For more information visit www.gyprock.com.au
H
HOUSING JULY 2014
eat Free has introduced a great new product to the
Australian market – the Heat Free Solar Fan.
According to Heat Free, the solar fan is simply the
best solution to removing heat and moisture from the roof
cavity of a home or workspace. Powered completely by
solar energy, it doesn’t require wind to make it work.
Designed for many different applications, the solar fan
is available in three mounting types. The roof and gable
mounts are generally used for residential buildings, and
the curb mount is most often used for commercial
buildings. However, all mounts have a universal use.
Available in a 20-watt or 50-watt version, Heat Free
says the solar fan is powerful and, most importantly,
almost silent to run.
The 20-watt version will move 1275cfm* or 36.10
cubic metres with a venting capacity of 56 square metres,
which Heat Free says is the same capacity as six standard
wind-driven vents. The 50-watt version will move
1900cfm or 53.80 cubic metres with a venting capacity
of 87 square metres, the same capacity as 10 standard
wind-driven vents.
The Heat Free Solar Fan can be adapted for use in a
variety of workplace situations that require venting or air
circulation. It is also available with thermal switches,
fire safety cut-off switches, exhaust tubes and remote
solar panels.
For more information call 1300 456 678.
H
*Cubic feet per minute
77
New Materials Feature
Safety first
ccording to Speedsafe
Australia, addressing and
preventing the risks of work at
height in the residential construction
industry is not negotiable. It goes
beyond codes of practice or guidelines
and is mandated by work, health and
safety legislation in all Australian
jurisdictions, particularly under the
new ‘harmonised laws’ (for example,
the Work, Health and Safety Acts in
NSW, QLD, SA, ACT, NT and Tas).
To ignore this can lead to some pretty
serious penalties, or worse still –
injuries or death.
Speedsafe Australia is an entirely
Australian-owned company
focusing on temporary guardrail
and edge-protection systems, which
can help meet your duties to the law
and more importantly your workers,
contractors and yourself. Speedsafe
A
says its products are Australiandesigned and made, as well as
tested and certified to Standard
AS/NZS 4994–2009.
Whether work is commercial or
domestic, Speedsafe produces compact,
lightweight and durable systems, which
suit a multitude of construction
methods. Speedsafe says it strives to
incorporate fast, simple, tool-less and
mechanical fixing to help you get on
with the job, as well as being costeffective without compromising safety
or cutting corners.
From first-floor framing protection to
universal systems, Speedsafe aims
to keep its modular systems innovative,
interchangeable and adaptable.
They will do the job they were
designed to do, saving you the
headache of having to manage inferior
or mismatched systems.
Speedsafe says people can work
better and more productively at height,
but the bottom line is getting the work
done as safely as possible.
For more information visit
www.speedsafe.com.au
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Scott Cam – Continuous insulation
hen considering the
performance of insulation in
buildings, it is easy to forget
the effects of ‘thermal bridging’, which
refers to heat energy lost through uninsulated surfaces such as door and
window frames, as well as timber stud
frames in walls.
In framed wall constructions insulated
with conventional glasswool batts (which
do not overlay the frames), as much as
12 per cent of the surface area of the
wall will allow heat energy to leak
through due to the un-insulated frames.
The National Construction Code
(NCC) recognises the problem of
thermal bridging, also known as ‘cold
bridging’, through steel framing,
requiring the use of a thermal break of
R0.2 between the frame and cladding to
reduce heat conductance. But there are
no Australian building code
W
requirements to address
thermal bridging in
materials other than steel.
Kingspan Insulation
champions ‘continuous
insulation’ as a means of
addressing all thermal bridging
throughout an entire building envelope.
The company says its range of rigid
panel insulation products, including
Kooltherm K5 External Wall Board, K12
Framing Board, and K17 and K18
Insulated Plasterboards, provide a
continuous barrier over framing systems,
providing superior performance and,
consequently, a more realistic thermal
efficiency rating.
These solutions represent the next
frontier in energy efficiency pertaining
to entire building envelopes.
According to Kingspan Insulation,
creating genuine solutions to heat loss
has wide-ranging
ramifications. Around 75 per cent
of all new Australian homes are built
with timber framing, representing an
aggregate two million square metres of
un-insulated, thermally broken wall
space. Kingspan Insulation says this
unnecessary energy wastage is easily
avoidable using continuous insulation.
For more information call
1300 247 235 or email
[email protected]
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Watch the videos at
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to see how it works!
The EzyProfile System t
is Reusable, Lightweigh
& Easy to use
Kingspan insulation. You won’t just feel
the difference, you’ll see it.
There is a science to achieving high performance buildings and
it starts with construction materials and design of the building
envelope. That’s why Kingspan Insulation always perform a
detailed thermal analysis to help us custom design the most
effective insulation solution.
The science extends to our insulation ranges. They deliver
amazing thermal performance in the thinnest of wall footprints –
Kingspan Kooltherm® achieves R2.5 in just a 50mm thickness, and
we can also design thin wall systems that achieve R4 and beyond.
Where condensation is a concern, we have unique solutions in
our vapour-permeable Kingspan AIR-CELL® range.
To ensure you maximise their superior thermal performance, we
even provide on-site installation training and assistance.
To see the difference our high performance insulation can make,
call 1300 247 235 or visit www.kingspaninsulation.com.au/newlight
Tel: 1300 247 235
Email: [email protected]
www.kingspaninsulation.com.au/newlight
Ezy as
zyProfile is a new reusable tool to
replace the traditional profile
system on a building site, taking
away the need for timber, screws, nails
and star stakes when setting out.
Made of aluminium, heavy-duty
plastics and fibreglass, the lightweight
system has a number of sliders and
screw fasteners to position everything
where you need it. It requires no nails
or screws, and a cup fits to the top of
the profile to accommodate a laser
level. This enables levelling and set-out
to be done by one person.
A dolly fits over the pegs to protect
the tops when being driven; the profile
tops can be readily adjusted to allow for
stepping on a steeply sloping site; and
the tops can fit under and over each
other to achieve a continuous profile.
EzyProfile can be used on all types of
sites including flat, sloping, excavated
E
faces, and vertical or horizontal walls.
You can even drill them into rock or
concrete – just drill a hole and fit the
pegs in. And the tops can be secured to
concrete walls with the use of
mechanical anchors.
Weighing less than 23kg and fitting
into one easy-to-carry bag, this system
is light and portable enough to take
with you just about anywhere – on a
plane, in a car or in the back of a ute.
Designed by a builder for builders,
concreters, surveyors, civil engineers
and many more, EzyProfile offers
ease and speed with a wide range
of applications.
Delivery is available Australia-wide,
so check out the videos on how to use
the EzyProfile system and buy yours
online today.
For more information visit
www.ezyprofile.com.au
Australia’s
largest range
of gas log fires
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6KRZURRP
1340 Ferntree Gully Rd
Scoresby, VIC
T 03 8706 2000
Unit 3/328
South Gippsland Hwy
Dandenong South, Vic
T 03 9702 7853
3DFLÀF+Z\
Chatswood, NSW
T 02 8905 0189
36 Kareena Rd
Miranda, NSW
T 02 8513 6202
300 Swan St
Richmond, VIC
T 03 9428 4443
2a Gordon Ave
Geelong West, VIC
T 03 5229 0844
46 Douglas St
Milton, QLD
T 07 3368 2011
173-175 Magill Rd
Norwood, SA
T 08 8132 0371
47-53 McDonald St
East Osborne Park, WA
T 08 9444 9900
88 Wollongong St
Fyshwick, ACT
T 02 6280 5522
www.realflame.com.au
New Materials Feature
The complete package
rowing businesses manage their customer
connections and information in a variety of ways.
While some businesses still use old-fashioned
processes, others are storing information on their mobile
phones while on the go and have no access to a PC or
laptop. The use of Excel spreadsheets, Google
documents or Outlook is also most common. While these
processes may help in the short term, if you want to
prepare your business for growth, now is the time to
consider a CRM system.
BEAMS CRM is a set of complete technology-enabled
business processes that allow you to create more
consistent and profitable interactions with your
customers. BEAMS CRM has combined client and
administration management into one application, which
will effectively flow from the start of a prospect through
to the finishing of a project.
The system uniquely offers CRM and project
management in one so you can make sure you’re on top
of all your customer relationships at every stage of the
project. With the project overview screen you can see the
recent activity on any project, and track performance
against milestones.
The BEAMS CRM project management allows you to:
• create templates, stages and tasks for projects
• receive automatic email reminders
• specify roles for other users
• track all email correspondence
• view completed tasks and events by project
• include any files associated with a project
• view task and event reports.
BEAMS Prospects, BEAMS Administration and
BEAMS Customer Portal are now integrated with the
BEAMS CRM, which makes it a one-stop solution.
For more information call 08 9454 7760,
email [email protected] or visit
www.beamsbuild.com.au
G
Grate design
tormtech, the Australian inventor of linear shower
drainage systems, has launched a new series of
grates created in collaboration with internationally
renowned designer, Marc Newson. A world first in
architectural linear grates, the partnership has created a
new decorative solution for wet areas, including
bathrooms, balconies, courtyards, thresholds, pools, paved
areas and driveways.
Incorporating Newson’s signature tessellated hexagonal
pattern, the new Stormtech 65MND Series grates are
beautifully constructed from 2mm marine-grade stainless
steel. Available in satin stainless steel, satin black, white,
pearl brass and blue finishes, the colours create a subtle
accent which can blend or contrast with surrounding
materials and fittings, such as tiles and tapware, while also
adding texture with the grate pattern.
Linear drain design was invented by Stormtech to allow
for a wider range of floor surfaces and flooring
configurations than is possible with traditional centre
wastes. The product creates a sleek partition between the
dry and wet areas of a bathroom, and suits contemporary
interior design. The 316 marine-grade stainless steel grate
provides the durability to extend application to both indoor
and outdoor areas.
In May 2013, the Marc Newson-designed grate was
acknowledged at the International Contemporary Furniture
Fair (ICFF) in New York, receiving the ICFF Editors Award
in the kitchen and bathroom category for best design, and
was also recognised in Australia with a Good Design®
Selection in the architecture and interiors category for 2014.
The Australian-made Stormtech 65MND Series drainage
system is available as a made-to-measure, fixed length or
patented modular option.
For more information call 02 4423 1989
or visit www.stormtech.com.au
S
82
HOUSING JULY 2014
Expect more...
Design ideas
Gyprock® leads the plasterboard market with HomeStyle,
an innovative publication designed to inspire homebuyers
and encourage upgrades to higher performance Gyprock
plasterboard and decorative cornice.
HomeStyle features:
• 28 pages of inspirational design and architectural features
• Decorative cornice and complementary décor ideas
• Noise reducing solutions to help create quiet areas
• Impact resistant ideas for halls and stairways
• Creative ceiling features with bulkheads and raked ceilings
• Fire and moisture resistant alfresco living solutions
Check out the latest edition at gyprock.com.au/homestyle
or contact your Gyprock representative on 1300 306 556
to order a copy.
Expect more from Gyprock
see more at gyprock.com.au/more
New Materials Feature
It’s a wrap
istorically, condensation hasn’t
been a huge issue in Australia.
Our warmer climate and
construction methods have helped
guard against the insidious damage that
condensation can cause. But as we
move into the future, embracing energyefficient and sustainable construction
practices, (insulation, sarking, and
sealant) buildings are becoming more
airtight. While this reduces uncontrolled
heat leakage, it also leaves less room
for water vapour to escape, which can
increase the risk of condensation.
Condensation occurs at any given
temperature when water-saturated air
(vapour) comes into contact with a cold
surface. Cooling the air down to its
dew point reduces the capacity of the
air to hold the water vapour and the
excess is released as beads of water
or dampness.
H
According to The Australian Building
Codes Board (2011), a designer must
always design to keep moisture out of a
building envelope, but when it does get
in – and it is likely it will get in – it
must be able to escape.
According to James Hardie, its
HardieWrap™ weather barrier is a nonperforated, highly breathable and
reflective safe-glare weather barrier,
designed to be used in wall and gable
applications behind James Hardie®,
Scyon™ and other* external cladding
products to help protect a building. It
delivers a triple-shield of protection to
help against external weather
penetration, internal condensation
build-up and external heat penetration.
HardieWrap weather barrier can be
used in wall and gable applications
fixed directly to timber or light gauge
steel frames, behind James Hardie,
Scyon and other* external cladding,
in residential, medium-density and
commercial buildings.
*Specifier is responsible for confirming the
suitability of HardieWrap™ weather barrier in
the specific design and climate zones with the
selected external cladding product. Refer to
cladding manufacturer for more information.
For more information visit
www.hardiewrap.com.au
Fire starter
vailable now, Real Flame says
its new Outdoor Pit Fire Range
is sure to impress.
With three different configurations
and five different media options, the
new range provides the homeowner
and landscape architect with much
more design freedom.
The pit fires can be installed outside
in a landscaped environment or within
an alfresco area, and are available in
either natural gas or LPG. Design
options include scoria, glass fragment,
driftwood (natural gas only), river
pebbles and glazed pebbles.
All models include a powder-coated
lid with a 316 stainless steel burner
and tray, a bottom-mounted controls
box with electronic ignition gas valve,
on/off switch and drain point.
Alternative ignition options are
available, such as 24-volt or battery
A
operated semi-manual ignition,
which is ideal for wet areas.
With round, square and rectangular
models available, there are also a
variety of sizes, including 500mm
and 700mm diameter for the round
models, 450mm and 600mm for the
square, and 600mm x 400mm and
800mm x 400mm for the rectangular.
Real Flame says designers can use
the pit fire in virtually any
environment that suits the application,
providing they meet the requirements
of the appropriate authorities.
Depending on the location, installation
applications can include tables, bar
tables, stone or brick enclosures and
portable options allowing the fire to
be stored when not in use.
The pit fires are also proving a
popular choice in bars, restaurants,
casinos and event venues, as they
create an inviting centrepiece for
patrons to gather around.
Prices start at $2000.
For more information email
[email protected] or visit
www.realflame.com.au
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HIA Apprentices
building
Thirsty for knowledge and
success, this year’s awardwinning HIA apprentices are set to
brighten the future of our industry.
Gabrielle Chariton reports.
Right: Sam Drury with his 2014
HIA Australian Jim Brookes
Apprentice of the Year Award.
our future
am Drury’s carpentry career is
thriving, thanks to guidance
from HIA and his host trainer –
and his rock-solid work ethic.
Sam, fourth-generation carpenter and
keen snowboarder, says he was
‘overwhelmed’ to be named national HIA
Australian Jim Brookes Apprentice of the
Year at HIA’s housing awards in May.
‘I’m very thankful towards HIA and my
employer for nominating me,’ he says.
Sam inherited his love of building
from his father, and grew up working
on building sites. ‘When I was about
13 [Dad] bought an investment
property and I helped him renovate it,’
he says. ‘I knew for certain then, this
was the kind of work I wanted to do.’
He carried that enthusiasm all the way
through his apprenticeship,
S
demonstrating a consistently high
standard of work that saw him take
home HIA Victoria apprenticeship
awards in 2011, 2012 and 2013.
‘What you learn now will be
skills and knowledge you’ll use
for the rest of your life’
Sam left school in Year 11 to make
a start in his trade, and his first
employer was a small Melbournebased builder. After about three
months though, the work ran out and
Sam was placed with Shane Smith of
Meaden Building Services, who he
stayed with until completing his
apprenticeship, six months early, in
NATIONAL AWARD FINALISTS
ACT/SOUTHERN NSW
Justin Westbury (carpentry)
It’s probably no coincidence that Justin
Westbury’s love of surfing opened the door to
his career in the housing industry.
After leaving school, the Batemans Bay boy started
managing a local surf shop, keeping his eye out for a building
gig. ‘A guy came into the shop one day and asked if I’d ever
thought about doing carpentry,’ he says. ‘I’d been looking
around for about six months, so I told him I’d be happy to go
on a trial for a few weeks. I went on trial and that day he said,
“Look mate, just come on board”.’
Several years and a move to Canberra later, Justin has now
completed his apprenticeship and his Certificate IV, and is
studying for business qualifications. He’s working with his
former host trainer and is excited to still be learning new skills.
‘At the moment we’re working on a CodeMark alternate
solutions project – a house made from foam panels. There’s
only two in Australia, so I’m really lucky to be involved in this,’
he says.
Between work and study, there’s not a lot of time for surfing
these days. However, Justin is happy to be reaping the
rewards of his hard work. ‘I felt honoured to win the award,’
he says. ‘All the hard work is worth it.’
86
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Brett Lewington (carpentry)
Almost four years ago Brett Lewington
decided to embark on a carpentry
apprenticeship because he thought it would
be ‘exciting’.
‘I’m a hands-on sort of person and carpentry is a field
that offers a big range of skills and learning,’ he says.
He had ‘no idea’ that he’d become a finalist at the HIA
Australian Housing Awards, but it’s clear that his
enthusiasm for his craft quickly distinguished him from the
crowd. And although his apprenticeship is now completed,
the fact that Brett is currently employed by his former
host trainer speaks volumes about the value of his
contribution on site.
He enjoys the camaraderie of the building site, and says
the importance of ‘the team’ was one of the most valuable
lessons he took from his apprenticeship. ‘Having a good
team around you who work together well makes it
enjoyable to come to work every day, and regardless of
how good or bad the jobs are, you can always make it fun.’
As for the future? ‘I suppose it’s everyone’s dream to own
your own business,’ he says. ‘I’d like to continue with what
I’m doing at the moment and then down the track, once
I get more experience, start my building registration.’
HOUSING JULY 2014
HIA Apprentices
Established more than 20 years ago, HIA
Apprentices is a group training scheme
that helps to employ apprentices under
an Apprenticeship Training Contract. It
places these apprentices with host
trainers; professional HIA members
looking for the right apprentice to train
within their business.
A leader in the selection, management
and training of apprentices in the home
building industry, HIA Apprentices offers
career opportunities in brick and
blocklaying, carpentry, cabinetmaking,
painting and decorating, electrical,
landscaping, shop fitting, plastering,
plumbing and tiling. This scheme
provides apprentices with the support
they need, and gives host employers the
chance to train their ideal applicant.
HIA Apprentices also offers a variety
of training and scholarship programs
including HIA Build Your Future, HIA
Apprenticeships Mentoring Program,
and HIA youthBUILD.
For more information visit
www.hia.com.au/en/ProductsServices/
Apprentices.aspx
>>
QUEENSLAND
Eli Crowther (carpentry)
Growing up watching his carpenter father
build houses, Eli Crowther knew he was
always destined for a career in carpentry.
‘My father built our family home,’ he says, ‘which is how I
came to appreciate the workmanship that goes into building
a house. I’d like to be able to do that for myself one day.’
Two-and-a-half years ago, Eli started an apprenticeship
with a residential building company in New South Wales.
After about 18 months of working on site and as a joinery
machinist, the work slowed. He then relocated to Brisbane,
where his fortunes changed when he decided to pop into
the local HIA office. ‘I handed my resume into HIA and
within three days I had a placement with Concord Built,’
he says.
‘My work varies from pub and club construction,
residential construction and commercial maintenance.
I am gaining a lot of experience which is helping to develop
and broaden my skill-set as well as develop my
communication skills.’
Eli, who was ‘over the moon’ to be a finalist at the
national awards, says he ultimately aims to run his own
construction business. Until then, he says, ‘I’ll just stay
focused and driven!’
HOUSING JULY 2014
HUNTER
Jake Langford (carpentry)
From the moment he started his apprenticeship
in 2010, it was clear that Jake Langford thrives
on a challenge. ‘I started my apprenticeship with
a company called McDonald Jones. I was doing house
frames, both steel and timber, and eventually I thought I’d
learnt enough in that area.’
So Jake went back to HIA Apprentices, who helped him find a
placement with Danny Smith Professional Building Services. He’s
still with the company, and recently completed his Certificate IV.
Jake says he enjoys the wide variety of work opportunities
he gets with Danny Smith. ‘We do mainly residential and a few
commercial jobs. The residential work is mostly high-end and
some of it is really challenging. It’s rewarding when you conquer
those tasks,’ he says.
Jake was ‘stoked’ to make it to the national housing awards,
and says becoming a builder is a realisation of his childhood
dream. ‘From a young age I was really intrigued with how
structures were put together, so at school I took electives like
woodwork and carpentry which I enjoyed, so I kept going with it
into an apprenticeship.’
And the ultimate goal? ‘Hopefully some day down the track
I’ll be running a successful business myself. But my main goal
at the moment is to gain as much knowledge as I can.’
87
HIA Apprentices
Right: Sam Drury with partner Nicole Jones at
the 2014 awards night on the Gold Coast.
2013. Shane – who now employs Sam
as a subcontractor – continues to be
supportive of Sam’s fledgling career.
‘I was quite fortunate that Shane put
me on after my apprenticeship
finished,’ Sam says, adding that he has
discovered that ‘learning does not end
with your apprenticeship. In fact …
more is expected of you and you have
to show more initiative, plan more’.
‘Learning does not end with
your apprenticeship … more
is expected and you have to
show more initiative’
Sam is currently combining his day
job with Certificate IV studies, having
received an HIA Build Your Future
Scholarship earlier this year. ‘As soon
as I finish that I’ll work towards
becoming a builder – either running
my own business or I might become a
foreman – I’m not quite sure which is
more appealing at this stage.’ He
recognises the value associated with
being named apprentice of the year:
‘I think HIA awards are a very high
calibre. So, in the future, being able to
start a business with that to my name
will be very beneficial.’
Sam’s advice for new apprentices is
the same advice he was given by a
mentor at HIA in Victoria: ‘Make sure
you enjoy the work you do, and just
always be thirsty to learn. Because
what you learn now will be skills and
knowledge you’ll use for the rest of
your life.’ H
NATIONAL AWARD FINALISTS
NEW SOUTH WALES
Paul Johnson (carpentry)
Paul Johnson’s integrity and enthusiasm
earned him the top gong at the HIA–NSW
Apprentices Awards in 2013 and there’s
no doubt that the young carpenter has a stellar future
ahead of him.
Paul started his apprenticeship after doing a year of
sports science at university, when he realised a career in
carpentry was a real opportunity, ‘rather than just
something to do out of school’.
The support he received from HIA throughout his
apprenticeship was ‘fantastic’, he says, and he took full
advantage of the range of training courses on offer.
‘Because I work with a small building company it’s good to
be around other apprentices and see their opinion or how
they do things. That was quite beneficial.’
Paul has now completed his Certificate IV and is
concentrating on getting the work experience he needs to
apply for his builder’s licence. He hopes that one day he’ll
be able to pursue his interest in sustainable housing.
‘It’s a great time to be part of the housing industry,’ he
says. ‘The industry is on the rise and there are so many
opportunities. If other apprentices are able to get half as
much out of it as I have, they’ll be very lucky.’
88
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Terry Packer (carpentry/joinery)
According to HIA–SA Apprentice of the Year
Terry Packer, persistence is absolutely the key
to success.
Terry says he was led to a career in carpentry because
‘I always liked working outside and working with my hands.’
Before he finished school, he did some work experience with
Hamood Builders in the South Australian Riverland region. He
enjoyed his time with them so much that he subsequently
‘pestered’ owner Neville Hamood for a job every three or four
weeks for about a year. ‘Eventually he put me on through the
HIA Apprentices scheme,’ says Terry, who impressed Neville
with his excellent problem-solving skills and continuing thirst
for knowledge.
Terry singles out renovating old houses as a favourite task.
‘I like working on jobs that are a bit out of the ordinary,’ he
says. ‘We renovated an old church recently, with slate walls
and a 50-degree roof. I like the challenges on jobs like that.’
Terry recently won an HIA scholarship to complete his
Certificate IV in carpentry, and is aiming to one day run his own
business. ‘But for now, I’ll just do as much training as possible.’
He advises anyone with an ambition to become a tradesman
to try and do as much towards your chosen trade as possible
while still at school. ‘Persistence is definitely the key,’ he says.
HOUSING JULY 2014
HIA Apprenticeship
Mentoring Program
Making apprenticeships hassle free
Do you employ an apprentice
and need some extra support?
Our mentors are highly trained
and professional.
Australian Government funding enables HIA to provide
this mentoring service FREE of charge to directly
indentured apprentices and their employers.
HIA can provide
The mentoring program is designed to assist apprentices
to adjust to the expectations of work and training by
providing a supportive network. HIA has long known that
apprentices are more likely to go on and complete their
apprenticeship if given appropriate support.
‡ Support for your apprentices
Apprentices are the future of the industry, help provide
the support they need to build their careers!
‡ Career support and training
‡ Monitoring and guidance for
apprentices at risk
Limited places available so to take
advantage of this mentoring service
FRQWDFW\RXUQHDUHVW+,$RI¿FHDQGDVN
for one of the Apprentice Mentors on
1300 650 620
Apprenticeship Mentoring Program project is funded
by the Australian Government Department of Industry,
Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education.
Non-compliant steel can do more damage than you think.
• Every time you build with non-compliant steel you risk not only human safety, but your reputation and livelihood are also in jeopardy.
• The damage will start if the integrity of your structure fails – you could be liable and the outcome could result in heavy personal losses.
• How do you know your building or construction is safe if you don’t know if the materials are compliant?
• Understanding how you can protect yourself is critical. You have the power to refuse to use non-compliant steel.
• Demand ACRS verified materials and ask for the ACRS Certificate of Product Compliance to help check compliance to the required Codes and Standards.
• Protect yourself, your family and your business, and ensure every project using reinforcing, pre-stressing and structural steels has an ACRS Certificate.
Don’t let compliance slip through the cracks.
'HPDQGWKH$&56&HUWLÀFDWHVRI3URGXFW&RPSOLDQFH
Contact ACRS on (02) 9965 7216 or info@steelcertification.com or visit www.steelcertification.com
$&56²7KH$XVWUDODVLDQ&HUWLÀFDWLRQ$XWKRULW\IRU5HLQIRUFLQJDQG6WUXFWXUDO6WHHOV/WG$%1
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Apprenticeships and Training
rethinking adult
apprentices
Good business sense
Adult apprentices will:
• have life skills gained from previous
employment and life experiences
• be physically stronger individuals,
better able to cope with the load
and duration of a full day’s work
• be more mature and less
susceptible to personal or
emotional issues
• have a stronger commitment to
the job than a younger candidate
as it is chosen after better
evaluation of other opportunities
• be less likely than a younger
person to see the job as a trial
and not necessarily what he/she
wants to do in the future
• be more likely to have their
own transport and current
driver’s licence
• have been through their
partying days and are more
focused on the future
• have a more stable and positive
relationship with a partner which
encourages maturity
• need the job, as they have bills to
pay, for example; rent, phone,
mortgage, children
• generally have fewer sick days
and understand the need for
punctuality and the importance
of completing the job
• learn at a faster rate owing to their
greater maturity, and therefore pay
their own way sooner
• be able to be left on the other side
of the job with your full confidence,
knowing they will be working
• with competency based learning,
may need fewer days for off-site
training.
HOUSING JULY 2014
Adult apprentices are all the go in
bricklaying, with a new incentive
and new focus. Housing spoke to
ABBTF’s Geoff Noble.
new incentive by the ABBTF is
great news for employers and
21- to 24-year-old job seekers
alike. Employers signing on an
apprentice bricklayer aged between 21
and 24 will now receive $2000 on the
completion of the apprentice’s first year,
which is in addition to the ABBTF
Brickstart subsidy of $3000, the federal
government’s support of $4000, and the
support from construction industry
training funds in some states.
ABBTF chief executive officer, Geoff
Noble says that until now a number of
employers have been keen to start an
adult apprentice bricklayer over the age
of 21 but could not afford to pay the
higher adult apprenticeship rates. While
the employers recognised the many
benefits of a more mature apprentice,
they felt that the cost of 80 per cent of
a tradesman’s rate for a first-year
apprentice was a barrier. Many
employers then looked for an out-oftrade second- or third-year apprentice
with skills and experience gained from
the apprenticeship to date. For a new
apprentice aged 25 or more, the decision
was made easier due to the federal
government’s mature-age support.
‘This left the potential apprentices in
the 21 to 24 age bracket virtually
unemployable, and many good-quality,
motivated young people have been
denied a start in the construction
industry to which they were well suited,’
Geoff explains.
ABBTF has also found that younger
quality people are harder to find and
attract to bricklaying, owing largely to
A
a change in the aspirations and
commitment of the Y and Z generation.
Geoff predicts this will be a challenge
for most construction trades for years to
come. This difficulty in recruiting is
leading to a focus on adult and more
mature candidates.
This difficulty in recruiting is
leading to a focus on adult and
more mature candidates
The limitation on choices of available
candidates has created a growing skills
shortage in bricklaying. The recent HIA
housing forecast shows dwelling starts
increasing by more than 18 per cent
during 2013 and 2014, with a peak of
close to 180,000 commencements. So the
new ABBTF support for adult apprentice
bricklayers (SAAB) is a timely incentive
to provide training and employment
opportunities for adult apprentices and
support for their employers as trainers.
An adult apprentice makes good
business sense and provides benefits
over and above the financial support
available. There are so many good
reasons to consider an apprentice over
the age of 21. It’s a win-win. H
91
a fresh
Helping this apprentice to complete
his Cert IV has secured his future
in an industry he loves. Graham
Cooke reports.
osh Reynolds is a man used to
relying on his own resources.
When a lack of opportunity in his
native Queensland threatened his
dream of completing an apprenticeship in
the building industry, he left home and
moved south of the border to Port
Macquarie where prospects were brighter.
‘I wanted to be part of the building
industry because I was not one for
sitting indoors. I’m a practical person,
enjoy challenging myself, and I like the
outdoor life,’ Josh says.
‘My father was a mechanic and
although it was a different industry, I
got my love of working with my hands
from him.
J
92
perspective
‘Then there were woodwork classes at
school – all very basic stuff, but I think
it was there where I realised I really
enjoyed the practical side of being in the
building industry.
‘The idea of work experience out on
site for one day a week while you were
still at school was just coming in and
after Year 12 I did the rounds, applying to
builders and answering advertisements.
I didn’t gain my apprenticeship for a
while, mainly just getting experience in
construction labouring.’
Eventually he got some work for a
builder, who took him on as an
apprentice carpenter.
But when business slowed he used his
experience to persuade a highly-respected
company, Gem Building Constructions of
Port Macquarie, to take him on for the
balance of his apprenticeship. ‘I have
been working alongside them ever since.’
Even a resourceful person like Josh can
use a helping hand from time to time.
That happened when he heard about
HIA’s Build Your Future scholarships.
‘I applied for one just as I was coming
out of my apprenticeship in 2012,’ he
says. ‘It was always my ambition to
complete my building Certificate IV, and
I would have eventually done it anyway,
but the scholarship was a big push in
that direction.
‘It costs somewhere between $5000
and $6000 to complete the course and
that’s big money when you are on
apprentices’ wages.’
Josh finished his Certificate IV in
Building and Construction at the end of
last year and says there were many
advantages to doing the course other
than the qualification.
‘It encouraged me to keep broadening
my knowledge, because some of the
modules are quite challenging and you
need to buckle down and study,’ he says.
‘It opened up a whole new aspect of
my trade – the coordination of the overall
construction of a building, business
management, legal requirements and a
greater understanding of the building
codes – things you don’t get to know
about out on the worksite when they are
someone else’s problem.
‘It was great having the encouragement
and support of HIA. When there was
something in a module I didn’t
understand, all I had to do was [pick up]
the phone and speak to one of the
trainers, or they would email me, and it
was explained.
‘They have been with me all the way
– getting the right forms; discussing
any difficulties. It was much better
than going through a TAFE where you
don’t get as much encouragement or
personal attention.’
Also in his corner was his employer.
Gem Building director Todd Dimon says
the company quickly realised that Josh
possessed all the necessary qualities to
succeed in the construction business.
‘We have closely watched him develop
into a fine leader during his
apprenticeship and he is always striving to
reach his absolute potential,’ Todd says.
‘Additionally, Josh’s desire to stay at
the top of his game is clear as he
consistently offers a fresh perspective and
creative approach to projects, calculating
risks and making solid determinations.’
Todd believes that the experience
gained through the Build Your Future
scholarship will be invaluable to Josh’s
development. ‘He is the kind of young
man who never gives up on a problem.
HIA and Stratco congratulate the
following HIA Build Your Future
Series VII training scholarship
recipients:
NSW
Sean Schofield-Doyle
Shane Loveridge
QLD
Haydan Ralph
SA
Jake Lewis Baida
Jake Plos
John Harvey
Sam Snowdon
VIC
Giordan Nguyen
Melanie Lim
WA
Lachlan Driscoll
HOUSING JULY 2014
‘He is constantly looking for new
challenges, skill-building and developing
a resourceful network of colleagues that
respect and admire him. It’s my belief
that the extra education he has received
will help him to sustained success in the
building industry.’
Josh says he wants to keep working
alongside Gem Building at least for the
medium-term. ‘They have given me
fantastic support and are respected
builders in the area,’ he says. ‘I still feel
I have a lot to contribute.
‘I want to keep expanding my
knowledge in the behind-the-scenes
operations, especially handling contracts
and dealing with clients.’
His ultimate aim is to strike out with his
own company ‘starting to build a mixture
of homes for clients and spec homes. I am
very interested in building sustainable and
energy-efficient dwellings, using
sustainable products, to produce house
designs to better suit their environment’.
‘Maybe I will be in a position to take
on an apprentice of my own and start to
give back to the industry in return for
what it has given me,’ he says.
Josh and his girlfriend are enjoying
life in the Port Macquarie area. They
both like the active and outdoor lifestyle
the region has to offer.
‘My family is split between the Gold
Coast and Melbourne, so there’s a bit of
travel involved to keep in touch with
them, but Port Macquarie is a great part
of the world as there are a lot of things
to do here, especially if you love the
outdoors,’ he says.
‘I like keeping fit by surfing, running
and doing cross-fit regimes. The weather
has been great this year; summer never
seems to end.’
Josh Reynolds’ career is heading into
its bright summer as, with the support
of HIA and his work colleagues, he
moves on to the next stage in the industry
he loves. H
Build Your Future… with a training scholarship
Build Your Future (BYF) is HIA’s
innovative industry scholarship
program created to address the
training needs of Australia’s residential
construction industry and is
underpinned by HIA Training.
HIA, in conjunction with program
partners Stratco and JELD-WEN
Australia, introduced HIA Build Your
Future Training Scholarships as part
of a commitment toward
strengthening and ensuring the
ongoing supply of qualified
tradespeople in the building industry.
Since the program was launched in
2010, it has received around 480
nominations. It has awarded 151
scholarships across Australia valued at
HOUSING JULY 2014
around $455,000, with some individual
scholarships valued up to $7200.
With the cost of training courses
often out of reach for young
tradespeople, the scholarships help
offset some of the financial burden by
supporting them through a range of
HIA courses.
Nominees of the program should be
currently working in the industry either
as an apprentice, employee or
contractor and can be women and men
from a variety of trades, including
carpentry, plumbing, electrical,
bricklaying, estimating, drafting and
kitchen joinery. Only 40 per cent of
nominees are HIA members. The
common interest with all nominees is
they all have the desire to run their own
business in the building industry.
The program and training
scholarships are essential in assisting
young tradespeople who may not
otherwise have had the chance to
increase their trade qualifications and, in
turn, increase the industry’s future
skilled workforce.
For more information on the program,
either as a corporate partner or a
scholarship applicant, please contact
Derilee Jaffer on 08 8340 5900.
PARTNER
93
are you accessing all your
IAmember
benefits?
Being a member of HIA
allows you to take
advantage of substantial
savings on an exclusive
range of products and
services related to
your business.
HIA Telecommunications
HIA Vehicles
HIA Telecommunications helps in
selecting the right communication
technologies for your business. From
tailored business solutions to advice on
internet and data products, HIA
Telecommunications can assist.
As a HIA member, you, your family and
your employees all have access to a
range of vehicle services. HIA Vehicles
can provide assistance with purchasing
a new or used vehicle, tailor financial
solutions to assist with purchasing your
vehicle, provide vehicle insurance
options through HIA Insurance Services
as well as warranties and servicing.
Fuel Discounts
HIA members can choose from two
options, the Caltex Starcard or the HIA
Vehicles Fuel Card powered by Shell.
HIA Health Plan
HIA Health Plan offers members access
to Bupa health insurance options. Join
Bupa and your corporate health plan will
include one month free for both hospital
and extras cover and up to 90% back
on selected options. Among other
benefits members also get a waiver of
two and six month waiting periods on
some essentials. Conditions apply.
Qantas Club
HIA members have exclusive access to
HIA’s Qantas Club corporate scheme.
This HIA membership benefit allows
members to join the Qantas Club at a
significantly reduced rate including the
Qantas Club Lounge and the Frequent
Flyer Program.
HIA Shop
The HIA Shop has essential stationery
tools and business products to help
you run your business including
contracts, building guides, first aid kits,
site signs and a range of other
products at special member prices.
Remember HIA’s workplace advisers
are here to help and provide assistance
when using HIA’s contracts.
Contracts Online
Contracts Online is the quick, secure
and easy way to purchase your
industry contracts.
HIA Finance
Looking for better financing options?
HIA Finance can help with a suite of
financial services for the residential
building industry.
Want to know more about HIA’s products and services? Contact your local HIA office.
T: 1300 650 620 E: [email protected] or visit hia.com.au
Product Profile
eye
in the sky
Having a camera on your site to
monitor everything that goes on,
24/7, in real-time, is now a reality.
ig Brother really is watching in
2014, but in a good way. Now
you can have a camera on your
building sites that captures onsite photos and provides real-time,
on-site monitoring – 24 hours a day,
seven days a week.
Onsite Eye is leading the way in onsite monitoring for construction and
much more. It uses the latest in highdefinition camera and mobile broadband
technology to capture live images
directly from site into the cloud, your
browser, and your inbox. Simply
nominate where you want a camera, and
Onsite Eye does the rest.
From provisioning, installation, and
complete camera-fleet management,
everything is taken care of for you.
Onsite Eye monitors and manages
everything. No IT expertise or
equipment is required from your end.
B
What’s included?
Onsite Eye makes site monitoring
easy. All technical aspects of the
solution are handled by the Onsite
Eye team. The complete solution
includes:
• all camera and communications
hardware
• all pole and footing/mounting
infrastructure
• on-site installation
• 24×7 mobile broadband service
and all communications
• cloud hosting of all captured
on-site images
• 24×7 access to the Onsite Eye
software and your captured images
• automatic site updates via email
• email product support.
HOUSING JULY 2014
The brainchild of Insula Software’s
Chris Grigsby, Onsite Eye is a unique,
self-contained and turnkey solution,
ready to go. From an idea initiated by
clients seeking more transparency into
what was happening on their building
sites, many prototypes were developed
and tested before arriving at the final
product, which is now ‘robust, reliable
and able to perform year after year’,
Chris says. It was made available
exclusively for more than 12 months to
a small group before being launched to
the wider industry in May 2014.
The features and benefits of Onsite
Eye are many. ‘Onsite Eye can deliver
dramatic cost-savings and efficiencies,’
Chris explains. ‘With never-before-seen
transparency into on-site conditions and
progress, the benefits have redefined
remote site management.
‘The simplicity and ease of using
Onsite Eye being available 24 hours a
day, seven days a week, accessible from
any web browser, on any device,
from any location, is just the beginning.
‘Feedback has been amazing. Site
supervisors can now view construction
progress remotely, schedule deliveries
faster, and coordinate tradespeople
sooner, saving both time and money.
Site supervisors now do not need to
drive around from site to site or call to
make sure deliveries have been made.
They can simply connect into the
chosen camera and view the building
site remotely, quickly and easily.
‘The biggest reaction has been from the
builder’s customers. Never before has a
building company been able to offer their
customer the ability to access high-quality
image updates via web and email from
anywhere, on any device. They love it.’
Ultimately, Onsite Eye provides
transparency, efficiency, safety, and
security by:
• providing timely job status and
updates for customers, staff, suppliers,
and tradespeople
• updating customers and investors on
the progress of their home when they
can’t regularly visit the site
• monitoring site progress remotely,
saving time and money as site
supervisors do not need to make
unnecessary trips to sites
• confirming when trades are actually
on site and deliveries have been
made without making a phone call
• monitoring activity to better
coordinate any-and-all on-site tasks
• implementing efficiencies across
the business
• identifying and monitoring workplace
health and safety issues
• monitoring site conditions, access,
and cleanliness
• increasing site security, reducing
theft and vandalism, and deterring
illegal dumping
• supporting investigations should
there be a complaint or incident
• having a pictorial history available for
the authorities should an incident occur.
‘They can simply connect into the
chosen camera and view the building
site remotely, quickly and easily’
For builders wanting to keep an eye on
their sites anywhere, anytime, Onsite
Eye is ‘the future of site supervision’,
says one happy customer.
For more information call 03 8574 4800
or visit www.onsiteeye.com.au H
95
Insurance that makes an impact
For quality cover and advice, call us today
contract works
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Industry Bulletin
industry
news & issues
Population growth
drives demand
Demographic statistics released by the
ABS in late June imply strong
demographic demand for housing.
HIA economist, Geordan Murray
says the figures show Australia’s
population reached 23.32 million by
the end of 2013, having added
around 396,000 people in calendar
year 2013; equivalent to a growth
rate of 1.7 per cent over the year –
down from 1.8 per cent a year
ago – but still well above the longterm average.
The natural increase in population
(births minus deaths) added 160,357
people in 2013. This was slightly
lower than the previous year but still
contributed 0.7 percentage points to
the overall annual population growth.
Growth due to net overseas migration
slowed to 235,797 in 2013. This
element of growth contributed
1.0 percentage points to the overall
annual population growth.
‘In NSW, the population grew by
1.5 per cent during 2013. Outside of
the 2008/09 period when migration
was influenced by the financial crisis,
this is the highest rate of population
growth the state has recorded in more
than 20 years,’ Geordan explains.
‘WA recorded population growth of
2.9 per cent in 2013; this was down
from the high of 3.7 per cent a year
earlier but still clearly the strongest
among the states. However, migration
in WA appears to be mirroring the
trajectory of resource sector
investment. Growth due to interstate
migration has slowed markedly, and
growth due to overseas migration is
also showing signs of moderating.’
In the other states and territories,
the population grew by 1.9 per cent in
Victoria, 1.7 per cent in Queensland,
0.9 per cent in South Australia, 0.3
per cent in Tasmania, 1.7 per cent in
the Northern Territory, and 1.6 per
cent in the ACT.
HOUSING JULY 2014
A key driver of growth
In mid-June, HIA released its latest edition of National Outlook, Australia’s
most comprehensive housing report card. Commenting on its release, HIA
chief economist, Dr Harley Dale predicted that new home building will
reach its second-highest level on record in 2014, while renovations activity
will begin recovering from a 10-year low. Residential construction
investment will make strong contributions to Australia’s economic growth
this year and next, and will boost demand across significant parts of the
manufacturing, retail and supply/distribution sectors.
‘The challenge for policy-makers is to look beyond the cyclical recovery
and address the large and highly inefficient tax and regulatory barriers
afflicting Australia’s new home building sector. A failure to do so will see
Australia fail to adequately house its growing and ageing population in the
decades ahead, to the detriment of living standards, productivity gains, and
budgetary savings for federal and state governments,’ he warned.
New dwelling commencements are forecast to increase by 7.1 per cent in
2014, following growth of 10.9 per cent in 2013, reaching a peak of
180,000. Commencements are forecast to decline in 2015 and 2016 to a
level just under 170,000. On a fiscal year basis, commencements are
expected to have increased by 10.3 per cent in 2013/14 to a peak of around
178,700. Modest reductions over the subsequent three years are forecast to
see commencements bottom out at around 170,700.
Momentum in renovations activity is forecast to build in coming years
with growth of 1.2 per cent, 2.3 per cent, and 2.5 per cent over the three
years to 2016/17. This profile would see investment exceed $30 billion for
the first time since 2011/12.
For more information go to HIA’s industry and business information link
on www.hia.com.au
BCA now free online
HIA has welcomed a recent decision by the Building Minister’s Forum to
provide the National Construction Code (NCC), which includes the Building
Code of Australia (BCA), free online from 2015.
The decision is a win for common sense, home builders and housing
affordability, and a significant outcome for cutting red tape in housing. Having
access to the building code is a necessity for everyone in the building industry.
The establishment of the national code in 1996 was one of the most
successful examples of harmonisation across states and territories the industry
has seen. However, the failure to deliver the code for free at that time was a
significant oversight; to require builders and plumbers to pay for access to the
most important compliance document for the industry is contrary to achieving
the delivery of affordable housing at the highest possible standard.
Delivering the BCA free online was a key issue addressed in HIA’s Housing
Australians federal election priorities and has been the subject of ongoing
representations by the organisation for more than a decade.
HIA expects that eliminating the purchase price for the code will improve
access to it by small business. The minister for industry has estimated that the
number of builders and plumbers able to access it will increase from 12,000 to
around 200,000 across Australia.
97
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005
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*Warranty subject to application and eligibility criteria. For full terms and conditions visit bluescopesteel.com.au/warranties. ^Results will depend on level of insulation, building shape and function.
†Thermatech® technology is not available in the colour Night Sky®. COLORBOND®, Thermatech®, Coolmax®, BlueScope, the BlueScope brand mark and ® colour names are registered trade marks of
BlueScope Steel Limited. ™ colour names are trade marks of BlueScope Steel Limited. © 2014 BlueScope Steel Limited ABN 16 000 011 058. All rights reserved. HM32857CRF_B
HOUSING JULY 2014
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14 & 15
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IFC, 1 & OBC
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102
28
lifestyles
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Companion Systems
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directory of
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99
from the vineyards:
HIA members and their staff are now
able to buy Tyrrell’s wines at 15 per
cent off the regular prices (not
including special offers), online at any
time. Available for both personal and
work-related purposes, members
can make purchases for individual
consumption through to bulk
function orders.
The range of Tyrrell’s Wines
available to members is quite
extensive and special by-the-dozen
or party packages are also available.
All purchases are made online
through a secure portal and delivered
to your door within 72 hours. There
is also a Tyrrell’s representative in all
regions able to assist with bulk
orders and menu wine matching.
All purchases made through the
HIA website will benefit the HIA
Charitable Foundation, with 100
per cent of the funds donated
reaching the foundation’s
nominated charities.
Recently the HIA Charitable
Foundation donated $375,000 to
the National Centre for Asbestos
Related Diseases (NCARD) for
research into the fatal disease
mesothelioma. The foundation
aims to benefit industry issues for
staff and their families.
To take advantage of this exclusive
HIA member offer visit
www.hia.com.au/foundation and
apply the code HIA15 at checkout.
join the club
100
Crispy-skinned pork belly
with apple cider jus
WHAT’S COOKING?
HIA is renowned for building longterm partnerships and its work with
the Charitable Foundation is no
different. Fourth-generation family
wine-makers Tyrrell’s Wines have
joined forces with the HIA Charitable
Foundation to bring you the HIA
Charitable Foundation Wine Club.
INGREDIENTS:
1kg pork belly, with skin. Using a very
sharp knife score at 1cm intervals all
over (or ask the butcher to do it).
INGREDIENTS FOR THE SAUCE:
2 cups quality apple cider
1 cup low-salt chicken stock
1 small brown onion
3/4 teaspoon of ground allspice
3 large fresh thyme sprigs (or a big rosemary sprig)
2 cinnamon sticks
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp unsalted butter
To cook the pork, preheat a fan-forced oven to 200°C. Wipe the pork
skin dry with paper towel (I also leave the pork uncovered in the fridge
overnight to help with the drying process), then rub well all over with
sea-salt, making sure the salt gets into the scored skin. Place skin-side
up on a rack in a deep roasting pan, then pour enough boiling water in
to reach just below the rack. Roast for two hours, refilling the water as
necessary, until the skin is crisp and the meat tender. Allow to rest for
10 minutes. Cut the pork into four portions.
When the pork is in the oven you can start the jus.
Combine all the ingredients (except the butter) in a medium-sized
saucepan. Bring to the boil then simmer until the mixture has reduced
to one-and-a-half cups (about 30–40 minutes). Strain and finish by
pressing on the solids to extract all the liquid. Discard the solids
and return liquid to the saucepan. Bring to the boil then
simmer again to reduce further to around half-a-cup (about
10 minutes). Whisk in the butter and season with salt and
pepper to taste.
Spoon the jus over the pork just before serving. Serve
with your favourite roast vegetables, or creamy mashed
potatoes and steamed greens – and a Tyrell’s wine.
This recipe thanks to Phil, senior foreman of BlueScope Steel
Distribution, home chef extraordinaire and king of cooking in his
kitchen (with a very happy wife).
Each issue we hope to bring you a favourite member recipe, which
the experts at Tyrrell’s will match with the perfect wine. In appreciation,
a free bottle of Tyrrell’s wine will be given to members who have their
recipes printed in Housing.
Wannabe chefs should email their recipes to [email protected]
HOUSING JULY 2014
Established in 1858 by English immigrant
Edward Tyrrell, Tyrrell’s Wines is one of
Australia’s pre-eminent family-owned wine
companies, with vineyards extending from
their historic home in the Hunter Valley,
NSW, to the Limestone Coast of South
Australia and Heathcote in Victoria.
Headed up by fourth-generation family
member Bruce Tyrrell, Tyrrell’s is home to
some of Australia’s most awarded wines
including the iconic Vat 1 Semillon. Since
1971, Tyrrell’s has been awarded more than
5000 trophies and medals, and in 2010 was
named Winery of the Year in James
Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion.
With the fifth generation – Chris, Jane and
John – also involved in the business, Tyrrell’s
will continue to remain family-owned with the
simple philosophy of producing high quality
wine that people love to drink.
A RICH
HISTORY
wine that works
The experts from Tyrrell’s Wines recommend
accompanying our featured recipe with either of
the following drops.
HVD & The Hill Pinot Noir 2013
HVD & The Hill Pinot Noir is a combination of fruit from
Tyrrell’s HVD vineyard and any from the 4 and 8 Acres
vineyards (The Hill) that doesn’t make it into the flagship
pinot noir – the Vat 6. The fruit is fermented in separate
batches before being matured in predominately older
French oak barriques before blending and bottling.
It has a pretty nose of strawberries and a hint of
spice and earth. The palate is long and fine with silky
tannins and wonderful balance. Lighter bodied reds
such as pinot noir are fantastic for anyone who loves red wine but wants
something that will pair nicely with lighter meats such as pork.
Moon Mountain Chardonnay 2013
The grapes for the Moon Mountain Chardonnay are sourced from both Tyrrell’s
own vineyards and a number of high-end vineyards around the Hunter Valley.
Initial fermentation occurs in stainless steel tanks before being transferred to
French oak barrels to impart additional complexity and texture on the wine.
A medium-bodied, fruit-driven style that exhibits crisp citrus and white
peach flavours, it has a palate that has gained some extra texture from
extended maturation on yeast lees. This is very much a chardonnay
produced in the modern Australian style – clean, fresh and well balanced
with the emphasis on the natural characters of the fruit itself. It is a perfect
match for chicken or pork dishes and a great example of how good this
classic variety can be.
To purchase these featured wines at discounted prices exclusive to
HIA members, visit www.hia.com.au/foundation and apply the code
HIA15 at checkout.
HIA members generously supported the HIA Charitable Foundation’s Wine
Appreciation Dinner recently held on 24 May at the Palazzo Versace hotel on
the Gold Coast.
The dinner was hosted by Bruce Tyrrell, a fourth-generation member of the
Tyrrell’s family of winemakers, the ‘Don Quixote of Semillon’, and founding
member of the First Family of Wines.
Guests were treated to a five-course degustation menu with matched wines
selected personally by Bruce, and enjoyed his commentary of the intricacies of
each wine presented during the dinner.
Special thanks to the winners of the silent auctions and raffles who gave
generously on the night, raising funds for the HIA Charitable Foundation.
HOUSING JULY 2014
Bruce Tyrrell
charitable events
HIA Charitable Foundation Wine Appreciation Dinner
101
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National Provider No: 1091
Members’ Health
healthy
hinges
Knees literally play a pivotal role
in our day-to-day lives, so it’s
important to take care of them,
writes Jessica Deotto.
ore than just simple hinges in
our legs, knees are the largest
joints in the body, allowing us
to run, jump, stand, kick and
walk. They also have the job of
supporting the majority of our body
weight. They are a part of the body used
every day, yet are often pushed to the
extreme without enough thought given
to the consequences. Carrying too much
weight can also damage your knees.
M
Feeding the joints
What you eat and drink can have
an enormous impact on your body’s
proper functioning, its ability to heal,
and its risk to damage in the first
place. If you suffer from knee
injuries or work in an environment
where you could develop one later
in life, try including the following in
your diet to help protect the joints.
These include:
• Vitamin C – found in foods such
as dark leafy greens,
strawberries, oranges and
cooked tomatoes; helps in the
formation of collagen, a vital
component of knee cartilage
• Omega-3 fatty acids – helps to
ease inflammation; sourced
mainly from fish and fish oils
• Vitamin E – believed to hinder
enzymes that break down the
cartilage in the joints. Good
sources include spinach, peanuts
and mango
• Calcium – bone strength is
important, so include plenty of
calcium-rich foods in your diet and/
or take a calcium supplement.
HOUSING JULY 2014
Made up of the tibia, the femur, the
fibular and the patella (kneecap), this
major joint also contains cartilage that
helps to lubricate the movement of the
bones where they meet. As well, fluidfilled sacs called bursa aid in cushioning
the impacts to the knee.
Knee injuries come in a variety of
forms depending on the type of damage
done, and to what section. And like a lot
of injuries, our working life and the type
of work we participate in, such as
building and construction, can have
an enormous effect.
In a construction environment, there
are two broad categories that knee
injuries can fall into: acute (traumatic)
and overuse (cumulative). Acute injuries
are the result of sudden trauma to the
joint, usually a single incident, such as
a bad fall or impact. Overuse is exactly
what it sounds like; an injury developed
from repeated actions, and wear and tear.
Certain trades in particular are
vulnerable to knee injuries including
tilers, carpet-layers and roofers; however,
anyone working in trades in the building
and construction industry should exercise
a certain amount of caution when it
comes to knee health. Try these tips:
• raise the work off the floor
where possible
• sit rather than kneel or squat
• assess all lifting tasks
• wear knee pads or use portable cushions
• have micro-breaks of 10–20 seconds
to extend the leg and return proper
blood flow
• wear quality work shoes, particularly
if you spend a lot of time on hard or
uneven surfaces as these can transmit
shocks through the knees.
Injuries and damage to the tendons
and ligaments are very common
workplace problems, as is wear to the
cartilage or bursa. Excessive kneeling
and repeated squatting can irritate these
parts of your knee causing inflammation
and pain. And if nothing is done to
correct this, ligaments can become
unstable and give out, and the cartilage
and bursa can wear away completely,
leaving your knee without the adequate
support it needs to function properly.
Whether your injury is new or has
been more ongoing, there are a variety
of ways to help build back some strength
and ease a bit of the pain. Stretching the
iliotibial, or IT band, is important as this
muscle helps to stabilise the knee during
physical activity. Going for a brisk walk
before exercise is a good way to loosen
it up. Also, if your leg muscles aren’t
strong, your knees won’t have a chance.
Excessive kneeling and repeated
squatting can irritate [the] knee
causing inflammation and pain
This is where recreational activities that
build full-body muscle tone – including
yoga, swimming, walking and biking –
can help keep legs and knees in shape.
And with any knee injury, see a doctor
immediately. Continuing to use an
injured joint will just make it worse and
lead to long-term health problems. H
103
Photo courtesy Falls Creek Resort
tea
break
With Jessica Deotto
The world’s LARGEST
SNOWFLAKE was reported to be
about 38cm across and 20cm thick
snowy
wonderland
As a struggling waitress, Tammy’s day is
going from bad to worse; after crashing
her car, she gets fired from her job at
Toppy Jacks fast-food restaurant, then
arrives home early to find her husband
Greg enjoying the company of her
supposed best friend.
After packing her bags and being
turned down by her mum for use of a
car to make her escape, Tammy turns to
her last and only hope: alcoholic,
diabetic Grandma Pearl. Offering to fund
the escape only if she can ride shotgun,
Pearl hits the road with Tammy to find
love, adventure and life outside of their
own realities – and it may be exactly
what they were both after all along.
Starring the hilarious Melissa
McCarthy as Tammy, and Susan
Sarandon as Grandma Pearl, this
unconventional road trip is sure to leave
you in stitches.
Tammy is in cinemas from
11 September.
Winter doesn’t have to be spent locked away indoors, rugged up and
avoiding the cold. It can be heaps of fun outdoors, especially when
spending it at one of Australia’s top ski resorts.
Discover the wonders of Snow Victoria’s mountain resorts, offering the
usual snow sport adventures, as well as the not-so-usual. Falls Creek, fourand-a-half hours from Melbourne, is a charming alpine village that
resembles a European-style ski resort. As well as accommodating
traditional skiing and snowboarding, Falls Creek also has snowtubing,
snowshoeing, and bocce – on the snow.
Mt Hotham, also a four-and-a-half hour drive from Melbourne, is Victoria’s
highest ski resort offering alpine skiing, snowboarding, dining and
accommodation. Mt Hotham also has a complete snowsports school, and
the SnowStuffPark Fun Park for kids where you can hire a range of fun
snow-play equipment such as toboggans and kids snowmobiles.
For more information visit www.snowvictoria.com
at the
Photo courtesy Warner Brothers
movies
No one knows who invented the
FIRE HYDRANT, because its
patent was destroyed in a fire
winter
warmer
Photo courtesy The Poacher’s Way
104
HOUSING JULY 2014
The outback is one of the best
places in the world for STARGAZING
In August each year, the dry sandy bed of the Todd River in Alice
Springs, Northern Territory comes alive with the Henley-on-Todd
Regatta – an outback sailing and rowing event like no other, and
1500kms from the nearest large body of water.
Starting in 1962 as an outback answer to the famous Henley-onThames race between Cambridge and Oxford universities in the
UK, this annual Aussie event is a day of fun and hilarity that now
draws in local, national and international competitors.
Promising a day out you won’t forget, the Henley-on-Todd
Regatta showcases a variety of activities and events including
sand-skiing, kayaking, boogie boarding, bottom-less yachts, sandshovelling and the famous bathtub derby – all done in the sand!
So if you’re up for a day of Flintstone-style pirate ships, flour
bombs, and lifesavers hauling swimmers from the sand, don’t miss
this unique event on Saturday 16 August.
For more information visit www.henleyontodd.com.au
outback
Photo: April Pyle, Moving Pictures Photography
regatta
Held in August each year, the Fireside Festival takes place in the
Canberra region and surrounding venues across Yass, Hall,
Murrumbateman and Bungendore, and is the capital’s annual
celebration of winter.
The month-long event is all about curling up by the fire with great
food, family and friends, and offers a number of activities to suit just
about anyone. These include degustation dinners, wine tastings and
masterclasses, horseback riding, a lantern cinema, special exhibitions
and performances, wood-fired pizzas and fire twirling, and relaxing
B&B packages all revolving around the central theme of winter.
As a celebration of winter in the capital, and a showcase of local and
seasonal produce, foodies in particular will love this cosy event.
Run by members of The Poacher’s Way, and hosted by more than
20 venues, the Fireside Festival is the place to be this winter from
1–31 August.
For more information visit www.poachersway.com.au
SAUERKRAUT IS SO FULL OF VITAMINS
AND PROBIOTICS that ancient sailors would
eat it on long voyages to keep healthy
HOUSING JULY 2014
the art of
cooking
Food is an essential part of our lives, and since the
reality cooking shows took over our screens with
programs such as Masterchef and My Kitchen
Rules, home cooking has never been so popular.
However, not everyone is a natural when it comes
to the art of food preparation, so why not learn
some new skills with a cooking class?
There are cooking classes available Australiawide from beginner to advanced, sweet treats to
seafood feasts, and classes focused on specific
international cuisines.
The Barossa Valley in South Australia offers a
range of classes that combine traditional and
contemporary flavours from the region
– and you get to buy fresh produce
straight from the Barossa
Farmers Markets.
And for those with a sweet
tooth, why not try a cooking
class presented by William
Wood, chef and owner of
Carême Pastry. Here you’ll
learn the finer points of
cooking with pastry that
include recipes to take home.
For more information visit
www.southaustralia.com
105
1
2
4
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1–4 The President’s Dinner was held on 22 May at the Sheraton Mirage Resort & Spa, Gold Coast. 1: L–R Lindy Grey, Neil Evans, George Tanchevski and
Violetta Tanchevski from the ACT. 2: Rendition Trio performed at the President’s Dinner. 3: Jill Lee and Rhonda Dwyer. 4: Wendy and Stephen Knight from South
Australia. [National] 5–8 The Austral Bricks Camilla Franks Lunch was held on 23 May at the Sheraton Mirage Resort & Spa, Gold Coast. 5: Shelley Craft was
the MC for the event. 6: Netta Fuller (left) with Camilla Franks. Netta was the winner of a kaftan designed by Camilla, valued at more than $600. 7: L–R Bill
McDonald, Michelle Mok and Mark Rietveld. 8: Justin and Karinda Gill from the Northern Territory. [National] 9 The team from GWA Bathrooms and Kitchens,
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premier partners of the NT Golf Day held on 6 June at the Palmerston Golf Club. [NT] 10–15 The HIA–CSR Australian Housing Awards were held on 23 May at
the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre. 11: Jessica Mauboy provided the entertainment for the night. 14: Guests danced the night away with Jessica
Mauboy. [National] 16–17 The HIA Charitable Foundation Golf Day was held on 23 May at The Glades Golf Club, Gold Coast. 16: Sin-binned, L–R George
Christou, John Dastlik, Rick Judson (Immediate Past Chair of the National Association of Home Builders who came out to Australia for Congress), Tony Parker and
Pino Monaco. 17: Kurt Ebert issuing an ‘infringement notice’ to Gary Owen and Graham Mulherin for inappropriate driving on a golf course. [National]
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107
Last Word
Tony’s
shout
Queenslander Tony Shadforth of
Shadforth Lythgo Pty Ltd is busy
running pubs when he is not building
homes. Nicole Amey finds out more.
How did you come to own a pub?
We bought the first one about five years
ago and I am sure it would have started
over a beer! A mate and myself would
always discuss different ideas and
investments and try to find things that
we could do together. He finally called
with the idea of buying a pub in outback
Queensland. I think he wanted me to tell
him he was crazy but it very quickly
went the other way.
The day we bought it was a pretty
funny day. Dean and I went along to the
auction and our other partner was on a
flight from New York. I think he still
may have secretly hoped that we
wouldn’t make the auction, as the
conversation prior to him boarding was:
‘Are you sure; do you really think we
should do it?’ It ended up climbing over
our agreed price, so Dean and I
convinced ourselves that we would just
put in the extra so we didn’t lose it for a
small percentage overall. Next thing,
SOLD! And we were it. Knowing Pete
was on the plane I left a message that
Below: Tony Shadforth (right) with business
partner Peter Stark at the Rainbow Beach Hotel.
basically said: ‘You own a pub in Roma
and you have to be at the solicitors to
sign a contract as soon as you get off the
plane’. He recalls nearly falling down the
escalator on the way to his baggage.
Where are the pubs?
We own one hotel in Roma, Irish
McGanns, in western Queensland in the
heart of beef country. The other is in
Rainbow Beach, on the beach across
from Fraser Island.
Why there?
When we bought the Roma pub, there
seemed to be good prospects that gas
was going to be fairly huge in western
Queensland. With Rainbow Beach we
figured tourism couldn’t get any worse,
and if it did we at least had a beautiful
building on the beach.
Are you a hands-on
owner/manager?
There are three of us involved – my old
friend from school that I started the
journey with, and my business partner,
who I have been working in building
with for more than 20 years. We all have
our own strengths and therefore look
after different parts of the businesses.
At least one of us is causing some sort
of chaos on a daily basis.
You must have heard some
good tales?
Roma is full of wonderful and animated
characters, many who might only come
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to town every now and then, so there
are always highlights. But when we
took over the hotel we were going
through the store area and came across
a small refrigerated cake display. When
asked why it was not on the floor the
barman told us that just a few weeks
before they walked into the bistro after
dinner to find a naked guy inside it.
We threw it out!
Is it true you are a non-drinker?
Yeah, I might have one or two every
now and then, but predominately I don’t
drink at all. But my business partners
always assure me that they can hold up
my end on that front and they do it very
well, so I am in good hands!
Highlights of owning a pub?
It would definitely be the people that
you meet. There is always someone with
a great story to share. Pubs also seem to
be birthplaces of many crazy ideas, so
there are always plenty of laughs.
Challenges?
It is definitely challenging running
hotels that are so far away from your
main base, and each other. When it gets
a bit hard, we have all learnt to just get
back on site, take a couple of deep
breaths and remember how awesome it
is. So, there isn’t really anything to
complain about!
Would you do it again?
Without a doubt! H
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